After the shutdown of nuclear power plants, Germany significantly increases its electricity imports.
The shutdown of power plants like Isar 2 resulted in a relatively convenient energy generation being taken offline. Bild: dpa
According to economists, it is „completely normal“ for imports to increase after the shutdown of power plants. However, this does not pose a risk to energy security. The share of renewable energy also increases significantly.
IIs this the new German energy world? On Wednesday, the Federal Statistical Office released figures on electricity generation in the first half of the year, and they were significant. 234 terawatt-hours (TWh) or 234 billion kilowatt-hours of electrical energy were generated and fed into the grid from January to June in Germany, which is 11 percent less than the previous year. This was also due to the discontinuation of nuclear energy: it was mainly offset by increased electricity imports, while coal-based electricity generation significantly decreased.
Andreas Löschel, a professor at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, explains the significant decrease in demand in the first half of the year due to high electricity prices. On one hand, it is beneficial for companies to make progress in energy efficiency and save electricity, he said in an interview with F.A.Z. On the other hand, there are also noticeable declines in production and a consequent economic slowdown, particularly in energy-intensive industries.