Fewer power outages

For many years, critics of the energy transition have pointed to the uncertainties in power supply due to the increased use of renewable energies. However, the bare numbers paint a very different picture. According to the Federal Network Agency, the outage time in 2022 was 12.2 minutes per end consumer, a slight decrease compared to the previous year (2021: 12.7 minutes). Last year, a total of 855 network operators reported 157,245 supply interruptions in the low and medium voltage levels. The number of fault reports decreased by about 9,300 compared to the previous year.

The power supply in Germany was very reliable in 2022. The number of fault reports in the low and medium voltage levels decreased compared to the previous year. (Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency)

Saarland and Saxony top

The longest outage times were reported by the states of Brandenburg (16.9 minutes), Thuringia (18.1), Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate (each 16.9), and Saxony-Anhalt (16.2). The fewest power outages were registered in Saarland (6.1) and Saxony (6.3). Interestingly, states with a high share of wind power, such as Schleswig-Holstein (7.7) and Lower Saxony (9.0), also compare very well nationwide. The majority of the outage times result from disturbances in the medium voltage network.

Decline in outage times since 2006

For comparison: In 2006 and 2007, before high shares of renewable power were recorded in the grid, supply interruptions stood at 21.5 and 19.3 hours respectively.

In a European comparison, Germany ranks well. In Italy, the corresponding value was more than an hour, in Austria over 30 minutes, and in Lithuania 25 minutes. Only in Switzerland is the supply more stable than in Germany, with outage times of around seven minutes.

A summary of power supply interruptions is published on the Federal Network Agency's website.

What does this mean?

According to the Federal Network Agency, the much-feared "blackout" did not happen, and even slight progress was made in 2022. In the long-term average, even significant progress...