France once again became the leading electricity exporter in Europe in 2023

France regained its place as the leading exporter of electricity in Europe in 2023, far ahead of Sweden, which had dislodged it in 2022, according to data communicated on Wednesday January 17 by the analysis firm S&P Global Commodity Insights. Its net electricity exports to its European neighbors reached 50.1 terawatt hours, compared to 28.6 for Sweden and 17.3 for Norway, two countries which rely on abundant hydroelectric production. Spain, which relies on solar and wind energy, is fourth with 13.9 TWh of net exports.

France’s return to the top is due in particular to the rise of its nuclear fleet, which was affected in 2022 by a historic drop in production, due to corrosion problems detected at the end of 2021 on several nuclear reactors. After this dark year, where it was a net importer of electricity for almost the entire year, a first in 42 years, France has regained color and even recorded new records for exports of electrons.