France’s reliance on nuclear energy, a reliable baseload power, is making up for the less prudent power policy of its neighbors. This is a lesson in the benefit of reliable thermal power plants that US policymakers should heed.
Last week, a heatwave forced Italy to rely on power imports from France to maintain their electrical supply. At the peak of demand, Italy was importing 3.5 gigawatts of French power.
France is presently hosting the Olympics, powering full stadiums and hosting large crowds. The Olympics isn’t expected to strain the country’s grid, and France should be able to continue exporting energy to neighboring countries.
Other countries in Europe have come to rely on the reliability of France’s electrical grid when they’re in a power pinch. France’s highly reliable electrical grid is primarily nuclear, with about 65% percent of the country’s power coming from the resource in 2023.
A report by Montel EnAppSys, an energy market research firm, showed that France was Europe’s largest net exporter of electricity in 2023. France’s net exports totaled around 50TWh (Terawatt hours) for the year. The second place exporter, Sweden, had a dramatically lower total at 28.6 TWh.
A Montel Analyst Clement Bouilloux attributed the large amount of electricity exports in part to the country’s nuclear fleet which is coming back up to full power following closure of about half of the fleet for repairs throughout 2022. Bouilloux said, “Low demand and the fact that much of France’s nuclear fleet came back online were key factors in the country’s rise to the top of Europe’s net power export table over the course of last year.”
Although as Bouilloux points out much of the exports can be attributed to lower domestic consumption during the second half of 2023, the return of the country’s nuclear reactors to a higher capacity means that there is now more power available for export in 2024.
In the first quarter of 2024, French electricity exports increased 500% percent compared to Q12023. This coincided with an 11.6% percent increase in nuclear power generation.
Ultimately, France’s reliable nuclear output is offsetting the reliability issues in other European nations, including Germany which controversially closed its remaining nuclear power plants in 2023.
As summer continues, the reliability of France’s grid can provide for its hosting of the Olympics, as well as any unforeseen weather events that befall its neighbors. In an alternate timeline, where Germany hadn’t closed its own reactors, they,too, would be able to export power to keep summer in full swing.
Reliable grids have benefits for their neighbors. Unreliable ones can create burdens for their neighbors. Too many unreliable interconnected grids is a recipe for disaster.
In pursuing transmission policy, U.S. lawmakers should ensure that they are not simply stringing unreliable grids together with the aim of propping up reliability.