German electricity supply continued to be highly reliable during energy crisis, nuclear phase-out

Disruptions to electricity supply within the German network remained around the ten-year average in 2023, the year in which the country had to deal with the fallout of the energy crisis and completed the phase-out of its last nuclear power plants in mid-April, statistics published on Monday (11 November) by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) have shown. The average electricity supply disruption time per final consumer was 12.8 minutes in 2023, at the same level as the 12.7 minute average over the previous ten years, the BNetzA found. “The quality of electricity supply in Germany remains at a very high level. This shows that it is possible to make progress with the energy transition without compromising security of supply,” said Klaus Müller, president of BNetzA.

The most typical cause of disruptions to the energy system were storms, in addition to accidents or physical damage to power cables during construction work, reported news magazine Der Spiegel. Disruptions caused by natural disasters, like earthquakes or particularly strong floods, are not considered for the average. A comparison with neighbouring countries shows that Germany still has one of the most reliable electricity networks in Europe, said BNetzA. Supply remains stable as the country moves towards renewables. 2023 was the first year in which Germany covered more than half of its electricity consumption with renewables.

As Germany continues its move to renewables, the country is trying to make the transition fairer by reducing grid fees in areas with high renewable power production. The energy industry recently stated that more national production of cables and power transformers will be needed to meet future demands of the energy transition.