Which European Zones Lean on Imports? Net Imports as a Share of Demand, to 2026-11-04 (4 November 2026)
From 21 September to 4 November 2026, 26 of 44 European bidding zones were net importers of electricity and 18 were net exporters. Sweden South (SE4) imported the most relative to its demand, 54% of it, and Sweden North-Central (SE2) exported the most, 309% of its demand. 10 zones imported on every single day.
Measured physical flows from ENTSO-E, summed per local day for 44 bidding zones over 21 September to 4 November 2026. This page works by day, not by hour: the data holds one interchange total per day, so it cannot show which zones import at the evening peak and export at midday. See the box below.
Key Facts
- From 21 September to 4 November 2026, Sweden South (SE4) had the highest net imports relative to demand of 44 European bidding zones: 54% of its demand over 45 days, imported on 45 of them.
- 10 zones were net importers on every day in the window and 6 were net exporters on every day; 28 switched between importing and exporting.
- Sweden North-Central (SE2) exported the most relative to its demand, 309% of it over 45 days.
- In 31 of 36 zones with reported wind and solar, net imports were a larger share of demand on the third of days with the least wind and solar than on the third with the most; the median difference was 12% of demand.
- The export holds interchange as one total per day, not per hour, so these figures cannot show which zones import in the evening peak or export at midday.
Why There Is No Hour of Day View
The hourly interchange series in the site's ENTSO-E zone data is empty for every zone, and the latest generation mix carries no interchange value. The only interchange figure is one net total per local day, the sum of the metered physical flows to every neighbour. A midday-versus-evening comparison therefore cannot be made from it.
Demand minus net generation looks like a way round this, but it is not one: it disagrees with the measured flows by a large margin in many zones, because of generation below the reporting threshold, pumping load and gaps in the generation report. This page does not use it. If hourly physical flows per zone are added to the export, an hour of day version of this page becomes possible.
Zones That Import the Most Relative to Demand
Net imports divided by demand, 21 September to 4 November 2026| Sweden South (SE4) | |
|---|---|
| Norway South-East (NO1) | |
| Estonia | |
| Portugal | |
| Croatia | |
| Italy Centre-North | |
| North Macedonia | |
| Lithuania | |
| Italy Centre-South | |
| Belgium |
10 of 44 zones imported on every day, and 26 were net importers over the window. Part of this is bookkeeping: the zones of Sweden South (SE4), Norway South-East (NO1), Italy Centre-North, Italy Centre-South and 5 more are slices of a larger grid, so power from their own country's other zones counts as an import. A zone that imports a large share of its demand every day is relying on its neighbours; one that sits near zero is balanced over the window.
Zones That Export the Most Relative to Demand
Net exports divided by demand, 21 September to 4 November 2026| Sweden North-Central (SE2) | |
|---|---|
| Sweden North (SE1) | |
| Italy Calabria | |
| Norway West (NO5) | |
| Italy South | |
| Norway North (NO4) | |
| Italy Sardinia | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Czechia | |
| Norway South-West (NO2) |
18 zones were net exporters over the window and 6 exported on every day. A share above 100% means the zone sent out more than it used, which is normal for a sparsely populated generation area such as northern Sweden.
All 44 Zones
Largest net import share first, 21 September to 4 November 2026| # | Zone | Net imports, share of demand | Average net imports per day | Importing days | Exporting days | Largest import day | Largest export day | Days above 100% imported | Days used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden South (SE4) | +54% | 28.6 GWh | 45 | 0 | +83% (23 September 2026) | +14% (5 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 2 | Norway South-East (NO1) | +45% | 40.0 GWh | 43 | 0 | +60% (10 October 2026) | +23% (1 November 2026) | 0 | 43 |
| 3 | Estonia | +41% | 8.52 GWh | 44 | 0 | +64% (3 October 2026) | +19% (3 November 2026) | 0 | 44 |
| 4 | Portugal | +37% | 53.7 GWh | 45 | 0 | +60% (1 November 2026) | +12% (29 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 5 | Croatia | +37% | 17.1 GWh | 45 | 0 | +60% (19 October 2026) | +9% (22 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 6 | Italy Centre-North | +36% | 22.6 GWh | 45 | 0 | +52% (24 September 2026) | +15% (18 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 7 | North Macedonia | +36% | 4.71 GWh | 36 | 7 | +119% (30 September 2026) | -19% (12 October 2026) | 4 | 43 |
| 8 | Lithuania | +31% | 10.8 GWh | 40 | 5 | +80% (1 November 2026) | -35% (9 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 9 | Italy Centre-South | +30% | 38.2 GWh | 45 | 0 | +50% (25 October 2026) | +16% (22 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 10 | Belgium | +29% | 65.5 GWh | 43 | 2 | +50% (14 October 2026) | -4% (3 November 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 11 | Latvia | +26% | 5.50 GWh | 42 | 2 | +69% (14 October 2026) | -5% (4 November 2026) | 0 | 44 |
| 12 | Sweden South-Central (SE3) | +26% | 57.6 GWh | 45 | 0 | +49% (7 October 2026) | +14% (3 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 13 | Italy North | +25% | 104 GWh | 45 | 0 | +41% (11 October 2026) | +13% (24 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 14 | Hungary | +24% | 28.1 GWh | 43 | 2 | +45% (22 October 2026) | -0% (4 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 15 | Serbia | +23% | 20.5 GWh | 45 | 0 | +38% (25 October 2026) | +10% (21 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 16 | Denmark East (DK2) | +23% | 9.30 GWh | 30 | 4 | +67% (23 September 2026) | -14% (18 October 2026) | 0 | 34 |
| 17 | Montenegro | +20% | 1.58 GWh | 28 | 16 | +142% (21 September 2026) | -97% (14 October 2026) | 7 | 44 |
| 18 | Austria | +17% | 26.3 GWh | 42 | 3 | +38% (27 September 2026) | -24% (26 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 19 | Albania | +15% | 3.08 GWh | 34 | 10 | +39% (14 October 2026) | -56% (1 October 2026) | 0 | 44 |
| 20 | Romania | +14% | 18.9 GWh | 41 | 3 | +29% (26 October 2026) | -7% (28 September 2026) | 0 | 44 |
| 21 | Slovenia | +13% | 4.78 GWh | 43 | 2 | +30% (9 October 2026) | -2% (27 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 22 | Norway Central (NO3) | +9% | 6.77 GWh | 33 | 10 | +32% (24 October 2026) | -18% (29 October 2026) | 0 | 43 |
| 23 | Italy Sicily | +7% | 2.96 GWh | 26 | 19 | +51% (17 October 2026) | -25% (27 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 24 | Slovakia | +7% | 4.82 GWh | 34 | 11 | +27% (8 October 2026) | -12% (1 November 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 25 | Finland | +7% | 15.6 GWh | 33 | 12 | +27% (21 September 2026) | -13% (27 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 26 | Switzerland | +5% | 9.28 GWh | 29 | 16 | +33% (3 November 2026) | -18% (28 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 27 | Germany and Luxembourg | -0% | -3.25 GWh | 23 | 22 | +16% (2 October 2026) | -22% (24 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 28 | Poland | -2% | -7.38 GWh | 19 | 26 | +8% (2 November 2026) | -15% (28 September 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 29 | Spain | -7% | -42.4 GWh | 1 | 43 | +2% (5 October 2026) | -15% (2 November 2026) | 0 | 44 |
| 30 | Denmark West (DK1) | -9% | -5.92 GWh | 16 | 18 | +42% (2 October 2026) | -75% (30 September 2026) | 0 | 34 |
| 31 | Bulgaria | -15% | -14.4 GWh | 10 | 34 | +9% (30 October 2026) | -47% (2 October 2026) | 0 | 44 |
| 32 | Greece | -16% | -20.3 GWh | 2 | 43 | +2% (21 September 2026) | -37% (28 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 33 | France | -16% | -179 GWh | 0 | 45 | -4% (1 October 2026) | -29% (17 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 34 | Netherlands | -19% | -45.1 GWh | 2 | 43 | +8% (9 October 2026) | -50% (4 November 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 35 | Norway South-West (NO2) | -23% | -22.7 GWh | 4 | 38 | +40% (9 October 2026) | -63% (1 November 2026) | 0 | 42 |
| 36 | Czechia | -28% | -47.3 GWh | 1 | 44 | +2% (25 October 2026) | -64% (4 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 37 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | -29% | -6.32 GWh | 2 | 41 | +9% (25 October 2026) | -78% (23 September 2026) | 0 | 43 |
| 38 | Italy Sardinia | -46% | -8.71 GWh | 1 | 43 | +2% (21 September 2026) | -106% (24 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 39 | Norway North (NO4) | -51% | -27.9 GWh | 0 | 44 | -13% (1 October 2026) | -74% (7 October 2026) | 0 | 44 |
| 40 | Italy South | -59% | -30.6 GWh | 0 | 45 | -23% (18 October 2026) | -115% (3 November 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 41 | Norway West (NO5) | -80% | -36.9 GWh | 5 | 38 | +50% (25 October 2026) | -144% (23 September 2026) | 0 | 43 |
| 42 | Italy Calabria | -106% | -15.5 GWh | 0 | 45 | -5% (14 October 2026) | -230% (4 November 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 43 | Sweden North (SE1) | -141% | -39.8 GWh | 0 | 45 | -30% (27 October 2026) | -324% (2 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
| 44 | Sweden North-Central (SE2) | -309% | -116 GWh | 0 | 45 | -198% (25 September 2026) | -400% (30 October 2026) | 0 | 45 |
A positive share is net imports, a negative one net exports; the average per day is in the same direction (negative means net exports). The largest import day is the day with the highest net imports relative to that day's demand, the largest export day the most negative. A day importing more than 100% of demand usually means power passing through the zone to a neighbour, and North Macedonia and Montenegro had such days.
Source: ENTSO-E Transparency Platform (transparency.entsoe.eu), CC BY 4.0. Aggregated and converted by World Power Monitor; ENTSO-E does not endorse this site. (ENTSO-E Terms of Use plus CC BY 4.0 for listed data items) Data as of 2026-11-04. Shares are computed by World Power Monitor from ENTSO-E daily actual load and the daily sum of metered physical cross-border flows.
Imports on Low and High Wind and Solar Days
Lowest third of days against highest third, 21 September to 4 November 2026Net imports rise when wind and solar fall. In 31 of 36 zones with reported wind and solar, net imports were a larger share of demand on the third of days with the least wind and solar than on the third with the most. The median difference was 12% of demand, and the widest was Sweden North-Central (SE2) at 70%. In 11 zones the day by day correlation between wind and solar output and net imports was -0.80 or stronger (more negative), led by Denmark West (DK1), Lithuania, Italy Sardinia and 8 more.
| Zone | Least wind and solar days | Most wind and solar days | Difference | Correlation | Days in each third |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden North-Central (SE2) | -269% | -339% | +70% | -0.52 | 15 |
| Denmark West (DK1) | +21% | -43% | +64% | -0.94 | 11 |
| Lithuania | +57% | +1% | +56% | -0.97 | 14 |
| Italy Sardinia | -22% | -70% | +49% | -0.82 | 14 |
| Bulgaria | +2% | -36% | +38% | -0.86 | 14 |
| Denmark East (DK2) | +40% | +2% | +38% | -0.84 | 10 |
| Sweden South (SE4) | +70% | +33% | +37% | -0.91 | 15 |
| Croatia | +53% | +21% | +33% | -0.95 | 15 |
| Italy South | -43% | -75% | +32% | -0.64 | 15 |
| Hungary | +35% | +10% | +25% | -0.83 | 15 |
| Czechia | -18% | -40% | +22% | -0.60 | 15 |
| Finland | +17% | -2% | +20% | -0.91 | 14 |
| Switzerland | +15% | -5% | +20% | -0.76 | 15 |
| Romania | +22% | +4% | +18% | -0.84 | 14 |
| Germany and Luxembourg | +8% | -10% | +18% | -0.90 | 14 |
| Sweden South-Central (SE3) | +33% | +19% | +14% | -0.66 | 15 |
| Austria | +23% | +9% | +13% | -0.46 | 15 |
| Portugal | +43% | +30% | +12% | -0.68 | 15 |
| Poland | +4% | -8% | +11% | -0.72 | 15 |
| Netherlands | -13% | -22% | +9% | -0.30 | 15 |
| Italy Sicily | +10% | +2% | +8% | -0.34 | 15 |
| Greece | -12% | -19% | +7% | -0.25 | 14 |
| France | -14% | -19% | +6% | -0.36 | 12 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | -27% | -32% | +5% | +0.02 | 14 |
| Italy Centre-North | +38% | +34% | +4% | +0.05 | 15 |
| Spain | -5% | -9% | +4% | -0.44 | 14 |
| Italy Centre-South | +32% | +28% | +4% | -0.51 | 15 |
| Slovenia | +14% | +12% | +3% | -0.27 | 15 |
| Slovakia | +8% | +6% | +2% | -0.19 | 14 |
| Latvia | +23% | +21% | +2% | -0.03 | 14 |
| Norway South-East (NO1) | +44% | +43% | +2% | -0.10 | 14 |
| North Macedonia | +32% | +32% | -0% | -0.09 | 14 |
| Estonia | +42% | +43% | -1% | -0.11 | 14 |
| Italy North | +24% | +28% | -4% | +0.04 | 15 |
| Sweden North (SE1) | -155% | -122% | -33% | +0.16 | 15 |
| Italy Calabria | -135% | -99% | -36% | +0.05 | 15 |
Days are ranked by wind plus solar energy as a share of that day's demand; each third holds a third of the zone's days (at least 21 days with both series are needed). Shares are net imports divided by demand over the days in the third, and difference is least minus most. The correlation (Pearson, from -1 to +1) compares daily wind plus solar energy with daily net import energy in megawatt-hours. A strong negative value says the two moved opposite ways over these days, not that one caused the other: weather also moves demand and the neighbours' output, and 21 September to 4 November 2026 is one short stretch of the year.
How This Is Measured, and the Sign Convention
- Sign convention, verified: the exported daily interchange is a zone's net exports, positive when more power left the zone than entered it. This page shows net imports, which are the negative of it. For every zone the build checks that the daily values over the neighbours window add up to the sum of the per-neighbour totals (also positive for exports) before the zone is published.
- Net imports as a share of demand = minus the sum of daily interchange divided by the sum of daily demand, over the days with both. The window is 21 September to 4 November 2026, up to 45 days per zone, because the export holds about 45 days of interchange. A zone needs at least 21 days.
- Physical, not scheduled: ENTSO-E reports metered physical flows. Traded exchanges can differ, and power loops through neighbouring grids. A neighbour whose flows are missing on a day leaves that day's total incomplete, which can make a zone look more or less dependent on imports than it was.
- Left out: Cyprus (has no interchange totals in the export); Georgia (has no interchange totals in the export); Great Britain (has no interchange totals in the export); Ireland and Northern Ireland (SEM) (daily interchange covers 5 of the 30 days in the neighbours window); Kosovo (has no interchange totals in the export); Ukraine (IPS) (has no interchange totals in the export).
- Zones that are slices of a country count flows with the rest of their own country as imports and exports. Compare them with whole-country zones with care.
- Figures are as published by ENTSO-E, whose members can revise them. Only derived statistics are shown; raw series are not offered for download. See methodology.
Import Dependence: Questions and Answers
Which European zones depend most on imports?
Over 21 September to 4 November 2026, Sweden South (SE4), Norway South-East (NO1), Estonia and 41 more had the largest net imports relative to demand. Bidding zones that form part of a larger country, such as the Swedish, Norwegian and Italian zones, also trade with their own country's other zones, so a high figure can reflect internal transfers rather than dependence on foreign supply.
Does this show who imports in the evening and exports at midday?
No. The data behind this page holds net interchange as one total per day for each zone. It has no hourly interchange, so the page cannot show an hour of day pattern, and it does not guess one from demand and generation.
What does a negative net import share mean?
It means the zone was a net exporter. Over 21 September to 4 November 2026, 18 of 44 zones exported more than they imported, and 6 did so on every day. The sign convention was checked against the neighbour totals of every zone before it was published.
Are physical flows the same as electricity traded between countries?
Not exactly. The figures are metered physical flows reported to ENTSO-E. Traded (scheduled) exchanges can differ because power follows the physics of the grid and loops through neighbouring zones.