This lever is
currently set at
ENERGY SUPPLY – The import of electricity
AMBITION LEVEL:
This lever allows you to determine the maximum amount of net imports of electricity from neighbouring countries in order
to meet domestic demand in 2050.
In order to balance the demand and supply of electricity, our country imports and exports electricity on a daily basis via power
lines connecting our network with those of neighbouring countries.
On an annual basis, it is possible that imports and exports are compensated. However, in the last two decades our country
has imported almost every year more electricity than it has exported, up to 10% of total consumption.
You can choose for a situation involving no net imports (domestic production meets domestic demand on an annual basisambition level 1) to a maximum net import of 17 TWh* in 2050 (domestic production exceeds domestic demand - ambition
level 4). The latter is equivalent to 20% of Belgium's production in 2010.
© 123RF/Gina Sanders 20772495
Maximum net import of electricity in 2050
(in %of the annual production of 84 TWh in 2010)
Within the European Union
we are striving for the
expansion of an integrated
electricity network with crossborder transmission lines in
view of facilitating exchanges
in order to balance supply and
demand of electricity at
European level.
+25 %
+20 %
+15 %
net import
+10 %
+5 %
0%
1
2
3
4
Ambition level
By choosing an ambition level, you determine the upper limit to electricity imports: it is possible that the selected quantity will
not be (entirely) used.
If in your scenario the amount of domestic production (from wind, solar, geothermal, etc. ), set by the other levers under 'energy
supply'...
is not sufficient to meet domestic demand, the gap is automatically filled with imports, up to the maximum allowed quantity
set with this lever. If demand is still not met, additional electricity will be generated from gas-fired power plants, emitting
greenhouse gas emissions.
exceeds domestic demand, our country would export the surplus. You may then consider reducing electricity production.
Opportunities and challenges
OPPORTUNITIES
A net import of electricity could be
economically sound if the price of the energy
purchased is lower than the price of the
energy we produce.
CHALLENGES
By definition, net imports of electricity mean a
certain degree of dependence that may involve
economic or other risks.
The improvement of the transmission
networks helps solving the issue of the
intermittent character of certain renewable
energy sources as peaks (in supply as well as
demand) can balance each other out within a
more extensive network and back-up capacity
and storage can be efficiently located and
shared between neighbouring countries.
* 1 TWh (terawatt-hour) is equivalent to 1.000 GWh (gigawatt-hour), 1 million MWh (megawatt-hour) or 1 billion kWh (kilowatthour), or the annual consumption of almost 300.000 households (based on an average annual consumption of
approximately 3,500 kWh per household).
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