France is the world's biggest seller of electricity
In 2025 France sold 93.3 terawatt hours more electricity than it bought, nearly three times Sweden, the next biggest net seller, and more than all of Belgium uses in a year.
GeoLens team · 7 Nov 2026 · data to 2025
67%of French electricity is nuclear - 26.2 TWhsold to Italy, France's biggest customer
- 2022the only year since 1990 France bought more than it sold
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France's surplus is bigger than the next three sellers together: Sweden sold 33.6 TWh more than it bought, Norway 23.1 and China 19.5. It is France's highest since at least 1990, up from 90.0 TWh in 2024.
Bar chart of net electricity imports in 2025 for the 15 biggest net sellers. France, highlighted, is lowest at minus 93 TWh, nearly three times Sweden at minus 34 and Norway at minus 23.
The numbers
| Country | Net imports, TWh |
|---|---|
| France | -93.3 |
| Sweden | -33.6 |
| Norway | -23.1 |
| China | -19.5 |
| Russia | -16.7 |
| Paraguay | -15.7 |
Where France's power goes
By border, France sold the most to Italy, a record for that border. Germany and Belgium together took 23.1 TWh, Britain 22.6 and Switzerland 20.1, according to RTE, France's grid operator. Much of what crosses into Switzerland goes on to Italy: counting that, RTE estimates Italy uses 36% of what France sells abroad. Italy is also the world's biggest net buyer: 46.9 TWh from all its neighbours together, 15% of what it uses.
- Italy 28%
- Germany and Belgium 25%
- Britain 24%
- Switzerland 22%
- Spain under 1%
Bar chart of net electricity imports in 2025 for the 15 biggest net buyers, EU members first. Italy, highlighted, is first at 47 TWh, then Thailand at 37, the UK at 29 and Germany at 20.
The numbers
| Border | France's net sales 2025, TWh |
|---|---|
| Italy | 26.2 |
| Germany and Belgium | 23.1 |
| Britain | 22.6 |
| Switzerland | 20.1 |
| Spain | 0.2 |
The year France had to buy
In 2022 EDF stopped many reactors for stress-corrosion checks and French output fell to its lowest since 1988 (EDF, Reuters). France bought 14.9 TWh more than it sold. Germany still sold 27.3 TWh that year; it closed its last three reactors on 15 April 2023 and has bought more than it sold every year since, 26.3 TWh at the peak in 2024.
Line chart of net electricity imports, 2000 to 2025, France and Germany against six European countries. France stays below zero except 2022, when it bought 15 TWh, and ends at minus 93 in 2025. Germany sold until 2022 and bought 9, 26 and 20 TWh in 2023 to 2025.
Why: the reactors
Nuclear plants have made at least 62% of France's electricity every year since 1990. Germany's share fell from 27.7% in 1990 to 1.4% in 2023.
Line chart of the nuclear share of electricity, 1990 to 2023, for ten countries. France, highlighted, stays between 62 and 78 percent and is at 64 in 2023. Germany falls from 28 percent in 1990 to 1.4 in 2023.