Environmental Indicators Ireland 2019

Total average annual primary energy production in Ireland was 3.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent from 1990-1994. It fell to 1.6 million toe in 2005-2009, before rising to 4.9 million toe in 2017.

Natural gas, as a proportion of total primary energy production declined from an average annual 60% in 1990-1994 to 6% in 2015. It increased to 59% in 2016 with the coming on stream of the Corrib Gas Field, and was 58% in 2017.

Peat products varied between 25% (in 2012) and 58% (in 2003) of total primary energy production over the 1990-2015 period. They fell to 15% in 2017 mainly due to the increase in natural gas production.

The share of renewable energy in primary energy production increased from an average annual 5% in 1990-1994 to 52% in 2015 before decreasing to 24% in 2017.

Renewable energy accounted for 3% of Ireland’s total final energy consumption in 2016. This was the joint third lowest in the EU. Latvia had the highest share of renewable energy in 2016 at 23% and Malta and the Netherlands had the joint lowest at 2%.

Oil accounted for 58% of Ireland’s total final energy consumption in 2016 compared with an EU28 average of 39%. Slovakia was the EU Member State with the lowest share of oil used in final energy consumption at 22%, while Cyprus had the highest share at 71%.

The amount of renewable energy production in Ireland has increased from an average annual 167 kilotonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe) in 1990-1994 to 1,184 ktoe in 2017.

Wind has been the main source of renewable energy production in Ireland in recent years. In 2017, 54% of renewable energy production was attributable to wind and 29% to biomass. The share of renewable energy accounted for by hydro power fell from 41% in 1990-1994 to 5% in 2017.

The share of renewable energy sources used in the generation of electricity in Ireland has increased from an average annual 5% in 1990-1994 to 30.1% in 2017.

Wind is the main source of renewables used in electricity generation, with its share rising from 0% in 1990-1994 to 25.2% of the total ktoe used to generate electricity in Ireland in 2017.

Ireland’s share of renewable sources in total electricity generation in 2017 at 30.1% was 13th highest among EU Member States and close to the EU average of 30.7%.

Austria had the highest proportion of total electricity generated from renewable sources at 72.2% and Malta the lowest at 6.6% in 2017.

Consumption of heat from renewable energy sources in Ireland has grown from an average annual 2.3% in 1990-1994 to 6.8% in 2017. Biomass accounted for 5.4% of total heat consumption in 2017. The national target for heat from renewable energy sources is 12% by 2020.

Renewable energy sources used in transport have grown from an average annual 0.9% of total transport energy consumption in 2006-2009 to 7.4% in 2017. Biodiesel accounted for 89% of renewable energy sources used in transport in 2017.

The national target set out in the 2007 Energy White Paper for renewable energy sources used in transport is 10% by 2020.

Ireland’s net imports of fuel peaked in 2005-2009 at an average annual 14.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe). It decreased to 9.8 million toe in 2017.

The proportion of fuel imports accounted for by coal products fell from an average annual 27% in 1990-1994 to 12% in 2017.

The proportion of fuel imports accounted for by natural gas increased from an average annual 0% in 1990-1994 to a peak of 32% in 2010-2014 before falling to 14% in 2017, as production from the Corrib Gas Field came on stream. 

Crude oil and other oil products (such as diesel, gasoline and jet kerosene) accounted for 72% of all Irish fuel imports in 2017.