Strom crisis in Europe: Germany remains stable despite the blackout risk!

Strom crisis in Europe: Germany remains stable despite the blackout risk!

On April 29, 2025, the network operator Amprion, based in Dortmund, reports on a massive power failure that affected millions of people in Spain and Portugal the previous day. However, the incident occurred without effects on the stability of the German power grid. Amprion found that the company in Germany continued to be in normal operation, which indicates a robust infrastructure and effective surveillance mechanisms.

The monitoring of the network frequency in Europe is crucial for the stability of the power grid. Amprion informs that such blackouts are rare and the last similar incident was recorded in the Balkans last year. These disorders in the power grid require quick action and precise intervention by the network operators to prevent large -scale failure. A European blackout was almost triggered around January 8 of this year after the network frequency fell by 250 MHz. This situation illustrates the fragility of the electricity system in times of increased demand and unpredictable weather conditions.

power supply and network stability in Germany

In Germany, a record load of 85 gigawatts was recently reached, with 45 gigawatt wind energy being available. This meant that Germany was able to export 15 gigawatts of electricity. Part of this current, 10 gigawatts, was forwarded directly. However, the existing imbalance between overproduction in the north and lack of electricity in the south leads to challenges. Network operators are forced to take spontaneous measures such as redispatch to compensate for the lack of electricity in the south.

In order to meet these challenges effectively, 13 gigawatts of power plants in the south must be raised at short notice. This includes potential problems with coal supply that could result in short -term load drops. The uniform electricity price system in Germany is another inhibitory shoe because it does not take local bottlenecks into account. Stress tests show critical assumptions for the availability of power plants in the south and indicate the urgent need to ensure the willingness of these power plants and the fuel supply.

strategies for the future ensuring energy supply

The nuclear power plants in Neckarwestheim and Isar could remain on the network to secure the power supply, while the expansion of the line network, in particular the north-south links, should be promoted. In order to guarantee crisis in the south, the construction of further gas power plants is planned. In addition, the retrofitting of some gas power plants on oil comes into play. Another element to stabilize the supply are changes to the flexibility requirements for biogas to increase electricity production.

In addition, the idea is examined to split Germany into several electricity price zones in order to enable regional price adjustments. These restructuring could be crucial to counter the challenges of increasing use of renewable energies. If the renewable energies are sufficient, coal is expected to be further displaced.