France overtook Sweden to once again become Europe’s largest energy exporter in the first six months of 2023, according to a report by EnAppSys, a platform that scrutinizes energy markets. From January to June, France exported 17 terawatt hours (TWh), or 17 billion kilowatt-hours (KWh).
According to EnAppSys, France sold mainly to Italy (9 TWh) and Great Britain (8 TWh). At the same time, Swedish exports, now in second place, have remained stable, and Spain also continues to export part of its capacity. Among the countries having the most difficulty importing are Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Great Britain and Belgium.
Thanks to nuclear power
“The reason for the increase in exports to France compared to the previous year is the increased availability of the country’s nuclear assets,” analyzes Jean-Paul Harriman, Director of EnAppSys.
For him, “although availability is still 10-15% lower than usual, the increase in capacity between 5 and 10 gigawatts (GW) compared to last year has made it possible to shift the French energy balance towards export”, since the beginning of the year .
