A senior figure in Austria’s power sector has highlighted Europe’s ongoing dependence on nuclear power to maintain electricity supplies during winter months.
Speaking to Austrian media outlet Selektiv, Gerhard Christiner, Technical Director of Austrian Power Grid (APG), said: “At present, the European electricity system is unthinkable without nuclear power imports in winter.”
Christiner’s comments come amid Austria’s push towards 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030, a target enshrined in national policy, while it grapples with costly import needs and grid inefficiencies.
Although the country achieved 94 per cent renewable generation in 2024 on a balance-sheet basis, exporting nearly 5 terawatt-hours (TWh), the picture shifted dramatically in 2025 due to weaker hydropower output.
Austria imported about the same amount it had exported the previous year, resulting in a swing of nearly 10 TWh.
“On dark, windless winter days, PV [photovoltaic] and wind production nears zero,” Christiner siad, predicting persistent deficits over winters possibly up to 2030, making Austria a net importer for the foreseeable future.
“So we are promoting a product that has no value on the market a quarter of the time,” he said.
The reliance on imports extends across Europe, where the transformation to renewables has turned many nations into winter importers.
France, with its substantial nuclear fleet, remains the continent’s largest exporter often supplying a median of 8,000 megawatts (MW).
Austria also gets further energy from the Czech Republic, a nuclear champion.
Christiner, though, was clear that Europe’s system depends on nuclear exports from these countries.
“Austria’s physical imports in winter contain a share of nuclear power,” he noted, adding that this will remain the case “for the foreseeable future”.
Nations such as Belgium, which has delayed its nuclear phase-out, and Switzerland, debating a reversal, contribute to this critical mass, despite Austria’s longstanding anti-nuclear stance.
The interview also addressed the financial implications of Austria’s energy challenges.
APG’s 10-year grid development plan, set for approval by regulator E-Control, calls for €9 billion in investments in transmission infrastructure by 2035.
Looking further ahead, scenarios modelled using APG’s ZusammEN2040 software estimate total transformation costs for a climate-neutral energy system at around €140 billion by 2040.
These figures account for doubled electricity demand through electrification and efficiency gains, although exact outcomes depend on technology choices and consumption trends.
Christiner criticised political delays in grid expansion, arguing that a focus on renewables without matching infrastructure has led to inefficiencies.
Price differences with Germany, for instance, cost Austria €650 million yearly based on a €9.60 per megawatt-hour (MWh) gap across 70 TWh of consumption.
Adding €100 million in congestion management and losses from PV production at zero or negative prices — where 24 per cent of output is affected — the total inefficiencies approach €1 billion annually.
He dismissed calls to reunite the Austrian and German electricity price zones, citing potential overloads and higher re-dispatch costs in Germany, which already run to €2-3 billion per year.
The APG director advocated for better co-ordination, including diversified import sources to enhance energy sovereignty.
“Austria cannot achieve energy autarky,” he said, emphasising the need for robust European networking to access the cheapest available power.
He said being fully self-sufficient would be “massively more expensive”.
Legislative reforms, such as updates to the Electricity Industry and Organisation Act (ElWG) and Environmental Impact Assessment Act (UVPG), are essential to accelerate grid projects and overcome local opposition.
Spain’s grid operator, Red Eléctrica, has issued a fresh alert to the National Commission on Markets and Competition about “abrupt voltage variations” detected in the national electricity system over the past two weeks. https://t.co/pkLaRCxOul
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 10, 2025
