More electricity from coal and renewable sources, less from gas
| Jaar | Kwartaal | Renewable (bn kWh) | Natural gas (bn kWh) | Coal (bn kWh) | Other (bn kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Q1 | 4.35 | 15.15 | 9.74 | 2.10 |
| 2017 | Q2 | 3.80 | 12.23 | 7.69 | 1.35 |
| 2017 | Q3 | 3.54 | 12.96 | 6.93 | 1.91 |
| 2017 | Q4 | 5.08 | 16.31 | 8.27 | 2.01 |
| 2018 | Q1 | 4.73 | 14.87 | 9.02 | 2.06 |
| 2018 | Q2 | 4.28 | 11.01 | 6.35 | 1.57 |
| 2018 | Q3 | 4.32 | 14.46 | 6.46 | 1.44 |
| 2018 | Q4 | 4.93 | 16.08 | 7.38 | 1.90 |
| 2019 | Q1 | 5.43 | 18.15 | 7.05 | 1.87 |
| 2019 | Q2 | 5.40 | 15.30 | 4.01 | 1.46 |
| 2019 | Q3 | 5.37 | 17.57 | 2.32 | 1.84 |
| 2019 | Q4 | 5.84 | 18.36 | 5.89 | 1.99 |
| 2020 | Q1 | 7.66 | 18.73 | 2.70 | 1.97 |
| 2020 | Q2 | 7.92 | 15.63 | 1.36 | 1.62 |
| 2020 | Q3 | 7.97 | 19.38 | 2.29 | 1.82 |
| 2020 | Q4 | 8.51 | 17.52 | 3.24 | 1.84 |
| 2021 | Q1 | 9.45 | 18.01 | 3.83 | 1.83 |
| 2021 | Q2 | 9.97 | 13.54 | 2.16 | 1.36 |
| 2021 | Q3 | 10.11 | 10.34 | 4.47 | 1.90 |
| 2021 | Q4 | 9.59 | 13.41 | 6.05 | 1.86 |
| 2022 | Q1 | 11.36 | 13.15 | 4.15 | 1.86 |
| 2022 | Q2 | 12.36 | 11.00 | 3.00 | 1.57 |
Electricity production from coal amounted to 3.0 billion kWh in Q2 2022, i.e. 0.9 billion kWh more than in the same period last year. Renewable electricity production rose by 25 percent, to 12.5 billion kWh. Compared to the same quarter five years previously, total production has more than tripled. Solar and wind power in particular showed strong increases (40 and 25 percent, respectively) in the second quarter.
Both the sunny weather and the increased installed solar panel capacity resulted in more electricity production from solar power. Wind power mainly showed increased onshore production. This was due to both greater installed capacity of onshore turbines and the favourable weather conditions for wind energy over the past quarter.
Less electricity produced from natural gas
In Q2 2022, electricity generated by natural gas declined by 19 percent year on year to 11 billion kWh. This was the case at both gas-fired power stations and the gas engines in greenhouse horticulture, for instance. Nuclear energy accounted for 3 percent of total production.
Electricity production in neighbouring countries
Whereas the Netherlands produced more electricity in the second quarter of 2022, production in France fell by 15 percent to 103 kWh, partly due to the extended maintenance work on nuclear power plants. In 2021, France still accounted for 19 percent of total electricity production in the European Union. In addition to the higher prices of both natural gas and CO2, scarcity due to lower nuclear electricity production in France causes the electricity price to rise.
Just as in the Netherlands, electricity production from natural gas fell in Belgium and Germany, mainly due to high gas prices. On the other hand, whereas production from coal increased in the Netherlands, it decreased by 24 percent in France.
Electricity production from solar power grew more rapidly in the Netherlands than in neighbouring countries. Belgium and Germany showed respective increases of 29 and 13 percent relative to Q2 2021. Wind power production in the Netherlands was up, but declined in France.
| Categorie | Netherlands (year-on-year % change) | Germany (year-on-year % change) | Belgium (year-on-year % change) | France (year-on-year % change) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 4 | 1 | -7 | -15 |
| Coal | 40 | 25 | -5 | -24 |
| Natural gas | -19 | -11 | -22 | 48 |
| Nuclear | 48 | -53 | -12 | -24 |
| Solar | 40 | 13 | 29 | 29 |
| Wind | 25 | 3 | 6 | -11 |
| Hydropower | -44 | -2 | 194 | -15 |
| Source: CBS, Eurostat | ||||
More export, less import of electricity
Total electricity exports increased by 17 percent year on year in Q2 2022, to 5.1 billion kWh. In contrast to Q2 2021, the Netherlands was a net exporter again.
Electricity imports dropped by 16 percent to 4.4 billion kWh. Less electricity was obtained from Belgium and Norway in particular.
| Jaar | Kwartaal | Balance (bn kWh) | Imports (bn kWh) | Exports (bn kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Q1 | -0.78 | 5.02 | -5.80 |
| 2017 | Q2 | 2.16 | 6.23 | -4.07 |
| 2017 | Q3 | 2.55 | 5.92 | -3.37 |
| 2017 | Q4 | -0.42 | 5.29 | -5.71 |
| 2018 | Q1 | 0.68 | 5.81 | -5.12 |
| 2018 | Q2 | 4.72 | 7.89 | -3.17 |
| 2018 | Q3 | 1.91 | 6.80 | -4.89 |
| 2018 | Q4 | 0.66 | 6.26 | -5.60 |
| 2019 | Q1 | -1.29 | 4.64 | -5.93 |
| 2019 | Q2 | 1.79 | 5.84 | -4.05 |
| 2019 | Q3 | 1.03 | 5.24 | -4.21 |
| 2019 | Q4 | -0.67 | 4.69 | -5.35 |
| 2020 | Q1 | 0.17 | 5.44 | -5.27 |
| 2020 | Q2 | 0.14 | 5.28 | -5.14 |
| 2020 | Q3 | -2.96 | 3.69 | -6.65 |
| 2020 | Q4 | -0.02 | 5.36 | -5.38 |
| 2021 | Q1 | -1.65 | 4.19 | -5.84 |
| 2021 | Q2 | 0.85 | 5.24 | -4.38 |
| 2021 | Q3 | 1.58 | 6.11 | -4.53 |
| 2021 | Q4 | -0.52 | 5.35 | -5.87 |
| 2022 | Q1 | -1.08 | 5.34 | -6.42 |
| 2022 | Q2 | -0.736 | 4.39 | -5.126 |
Sources
- StatLine - Electricity balance sheet; supply and consumption
- StatLine - Average energy prices for consumers
- Eurostat - Developments on the electricity market
- Website - Tennet