I can’t find a way to dodge the paywall to that article, but the short blurb I was able to translate, makes it sound like my guess is at least part of the problem:
As long as the sun shines the most, Skåne benefits from cheap solar energy from our neighboring countries. As soon as solar energy declines, the price of electricity rises throughout Southern Sweden. The poor Swedish transmission capacity means that we cannot benefit from cheap northern hydropower.
That said, I do agree that Germany should’ve long been split into two zones, at least until transmission capacity catches up. But alas, most people in Germany don’t even recognize that the lack of transmission capacities as the source of the problem and rather blame it on us importing expensive electricity from France.
It’s actually those parallels why I’m so distrustful: I’m far from an expert on the topic, quite the opposite if anything, but given how many people, even politicians, put out even dumber claims much more confidently, I’m always wary about such statements.
Ok, I think I’m starting to see the issue now. One thing I’ve missed is that the “tiny” amount Germany is importing yearly is actually half of the consumption South Sweden. That sure puts a bit of stress on the system.
I’ll say that I’m still not fully convinced due to the lack of concrete numbers, but it’s something I’ll keep in mind in the future.