--- title: "Nuclear plants off, nuclear power in? How Germany's electricity imports are changing" description: Germany shut down its last nuclear power stations in 2023. At the same time, imports of electricity – which still include nuclear power in their mix – are on canonical: https://www.datapulse.de/en/electricity-imports-germany/ author: Maria Fernandez published: 2026-07-07T09:45:20+00:00 modified: 2026-07-07T09:45:20+00:00 section: Climate language: en-US publisher: DataPulse Research image: https://www.datapulse.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Electricity1_EN-1-819x1024.png --- # Nuclear plants off, nuclear power in? How Germany's electricity imports are changing Germany shut down its last nuclear power stations in 2023. At the same time, imports of electricity – which still include nuclear power in their mix – are on the rise. An apparent contradiction? The reason for this is not so much a matter of ‘importing’ foreign nuclear power, but rather the interplay between electricity prices and European markets. Electricity is purchased wherever it is currently cheapest, including in countries with a high share of nuclear power, such as France. Whilst the domestic nuclear power curve drops sharply after 2021 and reaches zero in 2024, estimated nuclear power imports are set to rise significantly from 2022 onwards. The reason for this is that the import mix is modelled on the generation shares of the exporting countries – if France, Switzerland or Belgium produce nuclear power, this is reflected proportionally in the electricity supplied to Germany. ## **From exporter to importer**  The second chart broadens the view to cover the entire electricity trade: since 2023, for the first time since 2002, Germany has been importing more electricity than it exports. According to data from the Federal Network Agency, Germany imported around 54 TWh of electricity in 2024 and exported 42 TWh. In 2024, imports rose to just under 67 TWh, whilst exports continued to fall. The red line (total electricity exports) is falling, whilst the blue line (total electricity imports) is rising – a pattern that highlights Germany’s changing role in the European electricity market.​ One of the reasons for the rise in electricity prices in Germany is the high level of taxes and levies compared with the rest of Europe. In the first half of 2024, these amounted to 11.7 cents per kWh in Germany, whilst the levy in France, for example, stood at 5.9 cents per kWh ([datapulse.de/en/electricity-prices/](https://www.datapulse.de/en/electricity-prices/)). ## Renewables dominate imports It is interesting to note that, whilst the share of nuclear power in electricity imports is rising, the share of renewable energy is growing even faster. The dotted line representing the share of renewables has been rising sharply since 2019 and, in 2024, is clearly above the share of nuclear power. This means that more renewable electricity is being imported than nuclear electricity. ## **What does this mean for the German energy debate?** At first glance, the combination of the domestic nuclear phase-out, rising electricity imports and a visible share of nuclear power in the import mix provides plenty of fodder for sensationalist headlines. In some quarters of the debate, the phase-out is therefore criticised as ‘false labelling’: no more nuclear power from German reactors, but nuclear energy still present in electricity from abroad. A closer look at the data, however, reveals a more nuanced picture. On the one hand, the domestic electricity mix has shifted significantly towards wind and solar energy in recent years; nuclear power no longer plays a role in German electricity generation. On the other hand, imports of nuclear electricity remain low in relation to imports of electricity from renewable sources. Rather than signalling a covert ‘return’ to nuclear power, these imports primarily reflect price differences and the close interconnection of the European electricity market. --- Source: https://www.datapulse.de/en/electricity-imports-germany/