It is primarily the decline in industrial production, particularly in energy-intensive sectors, that has prevented Germany from experiencing major blackouts. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office, domestic power generation in 2024 stood at 431.5 billion kilowatt-hours, a decline of 23.9% compared to the 566.8 billion kilowatt-hours produced in Germany in 2018.
This figure makes it clear just how significant this decline is. It also has other consequences: Germany is now a net importer of electricity. This was not the case in the past, when there were periods of both import and export, often with the latter being disadvantageous due to the need to pay for the reduced output. Since 2023, Germany has been a net importer, with the imported electricity amount tripling in the past year to 26.3 billion kilowatt-hours, up from 9.2 billion in 2023. The available power supply, however, only decreased by 11.6% due to these imports, from 518 billion kilowatt-hours in 2018 to 457.8 billion in the past year.
The share of extremely unreliable wind power continued to rise, now making up 31.5% of the total, while the power generation from coal decreased from 25.9% in the previous year to 22.5% in 2024. On the other hand, the share of natural gas in power generation increased from 13.7% in 2023 to 14.9% in the past year.
The risks of more severe outages are therefore increasing, as Germany’s own power generation no longer has any reserves and the regular demand can only be met through imports. Any further reduction in the share of coal and natural gas will further exacerbate this situation.