Electricity production in Switzerland rose by 13.5% in 2023, reaching a new record of 72.1 billion kWh, reported the Federal Office of Electricity (FOE).
Production from both hydropower plants (+21.7%) and nuclear plants (+1%) was higher. Hydro (56.6%) and nuclear (32.4%) made up 89% of the total. The remaining 11% came from thermal and renewable sources.
The boost in production allowed Switzerland to export more electricity than it consumed. Imports of 27.5 billion kWh were offset by exports of 33.9 billion kWh, netting 6.4 billion kWh. This represents a significant turn around from 2022 when Switzerland imported 3.4 billion kWh more electricity than it exported.
However, despite overall net exports across the year, Switzerland remained a net importer during the winter months (-0.6 billion kWh) – Swiss consumption typically exceeds generation capacity in winter as production falls and demand rises.
Across 2023, Switzerland sold CHF 4.7 billion of electricity and imported CHF 3.7 billion, resulting in a positive trade balance of nearly CHF 1 billion. In 2022, the same figure was CHF 71 million.
The 2023 trade balance would have doubled if electricity prices hadn’t roughly halved between 2022 and 2023, bringing them back to the level of 2021.
The large flows of electricity in and out of Switzerland are partly driven by geography. A portion of the electricity generated south of the Alps is sent to Italy, while extra is imported north of the Alps to support population and industry on that side.
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