Germany net exporter of energy for the first time since 2023

For the first time since 2023, Germany delivered more electricity abroad than it imported in the first quarter, the Federal Network Agency said on Monday.

From January to March, 17.9 terawatt hours were exported and 15.3 terawatt hours imported, the agency said.

"It is the first quarter since the fourth quarter of 2023 in which net exports were recorded," the authority said. In the first quarter of 2025, the import surplus was still 4 terawatt hours.

The main reason for the shift is that wholesale prices in Germany fell more sharply than in most neighbouring countries, the agency said.

"This meant it was more often financially worthwhile for electricity suppliers in these countries to buy electricity from German producers," it said. Conversely, German electricity suppliers had less often had a financial incentive to buy electricity abroad.

Austria largest buyer, Denmark largest supplier

The largest buyer of electricity in the first quarter was Austria, as it was in the first quarter of 2025, the agency reported.

The biggest increases were seen in exports to Denmark and Norway. By contrast, significantly less electricity was exported to France. Exports there fell by around half compared with the same quarter a year earlier.

Denmark was the largest electricity supplier, followed by the Netherlands and France.

According to the Federal Network Agency, the largest share of German electricity exports came from onshore wind. Overall, 57.1% of electricity exports came from renewable energies.

For electricity imports, the share of renewables rose to 50.2%. "Nuclear energy again accounted for the largest share of the individual energy sources," it said.