Wiesbaden (energate) - Coal was the most important energy source for electricity generation in 2022. According to preliminary calculations by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the share of coal-fired electricity in the total electricity mix was 33.3 per cent. Compared to the previous year, electricity generation from coal rose by 8.4 per cent to 169.9 billion kWh. Overall, the grid feed-in of conventional energy sources fell by 8.7 per cent or to 273.5 billion kWh.
As expected, the share of nuclear power declined from 12.6 per cent in the previous year to 6.4 per cent in 2021 (32.7 billion kWh). At the end of 2021, the nuclear power operator Preussen Elektra had taken the nuclear power plants Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein and Grohnde in Lower Saxony off the grid (
energate reported). Together with
RWE's Gundremmingen C nuclear power plant, which was decommissioned in October 2021, about 4,184 MW were thus taken off the grid. Thus, by
15 April this year, only three nuclear power plants will remain in operation, including
Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2.
The share of natural gas in the 2022 electricity mix also declined. Fifty-eight billion kWh from natural gas generation meant a share of 11.4 per cent in 2022 (2021: 65.3 billion kWh). In the wake of the energy crisis and skyrocketing natural gas prices, the political premise was to save as much natural gas as possible (
energate reported). In some months of 2022, industry and commerce as well as private households saved up to 30 per cent of natural gas
(energate reported). In this context, the decline in natural gas generation by only about 5 billion kWh is less than expected.
Renewable share increases in 2022
Unlike conventional generators, renewables supplied more electricity in 2022 than in the previous year. With 235.9 billion kWh, renewables contributed a total of 46.3 per cent (2021: 42.3 %). According to Destatis, the largest increases were in photovoltaics. After 45.3 billion kWh in the previous year, solar plants supplied more than 54 billion kWh in 2022 and thus accounted for 10.6 per cent of the total electricity mix. Wind power also recorded growth. After 112 billion kWh in 2021, wind power generation rose to 122.6 billion kWh. With a share of 24.1 per cent, wind energy is by far the most important renewable energy source in the electricity mix.
In contrast, there was a decline in electricity generation from hydropower in 2022. With 16.1 billion kWh (2021: 18.3 billion kWh), hydropower achieved a share of 3.2 per cent. Electricity generation from biogas remained largely constant compared to the previous year at 29.8 billion kWh (2021: 29.9 billion kWh).
Electricity imports decline, exported electricity volumes increase
The amount of electricity imported into Germany declined by 4.8 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021, Destatis data show. At 49.3 billion kWh, it amounted to about one tenth of domestic production. The 62.0 per cent decline in electricity imports from France was particularly significant. This was due to technical problems at the French nuclear power plants as well as cooling water shortages due to the prolonged drought last summer (
energate reported). As a result, 2022 was the first year since Destatis surveys began in 1990 in which Germany supplied more electricity to France than vice versa. The amount of electricity exported from Germany in 2022 rose by 8.5 per cent to 76.3 billion kWh compared to the previous year. Germany thus continues to export more electricity than it imports. /am
