Germany turns into electricity importer for first time in five years in June
Clean Energy Wire
Germany imported more electricity than it exported in June 2019, making the country a net importer for the first time since July 2014, writes German energy industry association BDEW. The increase in imports is mainly attributable to rising CO₂ prices in the European Union Emissions Trading System (ETS), which made coal-fired power more expensive, and the decommissioning of coal power plants, says BDEW. In the first half of 2019, Germany recorded net power exports of 21.1 billion kilowatt hours (kWh), down from 23.9 billion kWh in the same period last year.
Germany has been a net power exporter for almost two decades and booked net exports of about 50 billion kWh in 2018. Growing exports have been one of many reasons why the rapid expansion of renewable power sources in Germany has not been matched by a parallel drop in carbon emissions, according to researchers.
