Paris: As the nation's energy imports increased, the trade deficit in France nearly doubled and set a new record last year, according to official data released on Tuesday.

France's trade deficit increased by €164 billion ($176 billion) from €86 billion year over year as a result of the EU's energy crisis. Increasing imports of oil, gas, and electricity were directly responsible for 86% of that increase, per data from the trade ministry.

Due to the conflict in Ukraine, Russian energy exports to the EU last year fell to historically low levels, driving up prices. EU nations have increased LNG shipments from all over the world to make up for the shortage. But the alternative is much more expensive than the energy Moscow offers.

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Paris increased its imports in a rush to fill its gas storage for the coming winter, similar to many other EU nations. But with gas prices five to ten times higher than they were two years ago, there was a danger that the nation's industrial output would fall.

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Due to France becoming a net importer of electricity, high oil prices have also contributed to the deficit. About 70% of the nation's electricity is generated using nuclear energy. However, the threat of rolling blackouts increased last year when a record number of French nuclear plants went offline for maintenance.

While France is less reliant on Russian energy than other EU nations, the absence of domestic nuclear power generation has forced France to import electricity from its neighbours.

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In addition, the data showed that issues with the supply chain and the depreciation of the US dollar, which increased the cost of goods from the Eurozone on international markets, increased the deficit.