The Federal Network Agency has published the current SAIDI value for 2023 published. This index value, which measures the average duration of power outages per consumer, is 12.8 minutes. (10.4 medium voltage + 2.4 low voltage) This confirms that the Security of supply in Germany remains at a high level despite the challenges of the energy transition.
The SAIDI value as an index for security of supply
The SAIDI value shows how many minutes an average electricity consumer remains without electricity per year. Measured in minutes per year, the index provides a important indicator for the security of supply in the German electricity grid. Based on Section 52 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), the grid operators report their data on supply quality annually, which is then aggregated by the Federal Network Agency. At 12.8 minutes, the cumulative value is slightly higher than the 12.2 minutes from 2022 (10 medium voltage + 2.2 low voltage), but remains in international comparison still very low. This underlines the high level of security of supply, even though the share of renewable energies in the German electricity mix has already risen above 50 % in 2023.
Germany among the leaders in international comparison
This means that Germany is still one of the leaders in Europe in terms of security of supply. With annual power interruptions of 12.8 minutes, the German electricity grid is extremely stable compared to countries such as the USA (78 minutes), Australia (60 minutes) or Canada (55 minutes). In Europe, only a few countries such as the Switzerland and Finland similar or shorter downtimes. This low average outage duration speaks for the high standards in the German electricity grid. An overview of the various country-specific SAIDI indices from 2022 can be found in the report "SAIDI: German electricity grid remains stable“.
Measuring the security of supply using the SAIDI value
Every year, the Federal Network Agency records all supply interruptions that over three minutes and assigns them to different causes. Only Unplanned interruptionscaused by atmospheric influences, third-party effects or grid operator faults are included in the SAIDI EnWG value. This clear differentiation guarantees a targeted assessment and evaluation of the security of supply. Grid operators are legally obliged to report this data in accordance with Section 52 EnWG, which ensures a consistent and reliable calculation of the SAIDI index.
Stability despite the growing demands of the energy transition
The energy transition poses new challenges for the German electricity grid, but security of supply remains high despite the increasing load on the grid. Thanks to the possibility of temporary increase in capacity utilization of the power grid pursuant to § 49b EnWGwhich was introduced in response to the increased requirements, grid stability can be maintained despite the volatility of renewable energies such as wind and solar energy. This regulation was extended in 2023 as part of the solar package and supports the energy transition without apparently jeopardizing security of supply. A study by the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) and the Fraunhofer IEE from September 2024 therefore recommends the Grid connection points for connecting renewable energies and to use the existing infrastructure more efficiently.
Outlook: Security of supply and stable electricity grids
The number of registered disruptions in the electricity grid rose slightly to just under 160,000 cases in 2023, an increase of just over 1,000 cases compared to 2022. In order to ensure a high level of security of supply in the long term, smart grid solutions, advanced storage and hydrogen technologies will be further developed in the future. These technologies and the accelerated expansion of the grid will be crucial to maintaining security of supply in an electricity grid with increasingly decentralized and renewable energy sources.
The data from the Federal Network Agency once again confirms that Germany offers an exceptionally high level of security of supply - despite the transition to a climate-friendly energy supply. This sends a positive signal to private consumers and companies and underlines the importance of the German electricity grid as one of the most reliable infrastructures in the world.