France’s energy import bill tripled in three years, official statistics show

(EurActiv, 9 Oct 2023) France’s energy import bill rose from €58 billion to €148 billion between 2019 and 2022, according to the latest figures from French customs published last week, reflecting a rise in gas prices.

France’s customs authorities published a report on “France’s energy vulnerability” on Friday (6 October), which coincided with the publication of the main results of France’s foreign trade in 2022.

The report is clear: “Soaring energy bills have […] once again highlighted the dependence and vulnerability of European economies on energy imports,” it said about 2022, the year Russia launched its military aggression in Ukraine.

France is entirely import-dependent on gas and almost wholly dependent on coal and oil, which constitutes “a factor of vulnerability for the country,” the report notes.

Although the amount of energy measured in Terawatt-hours (TWh) has fallen by around 5%, the import bill has risen from €58 billion in 2019 to €148 billion in 2022, a 2.5-fold increase.

Meanwhile, France’s net energy bill has risen from €44 billion in 2019 to €116 billion in 2022, according to figures published by the Energy Transition Ministry on 28 September.

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EurActiv, 9 Oct 2023: France’s energy import bill tripled in three years, official statistics show