Environmental Indicators Ireland 2020

Total average annual primary energy production in Ireland was 3.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) in 1990. It fell to 1.3 million toe in 2012, before rising to 5.0 million toe in 2018.

Natural gas, as a proportion of total primary energy production declined from 54% in 1990 to 6% in 2015. It increased to 59% in 2016 with the coming on stream of the Corrib Gas Field and was 55% in 2018.

Peat products varied between 25% and 58% of total primary energy production over the 1990-2015 period. In 2016 to 2018 it was around 16%.

 The share of renewable energy in primary energy production increased from 5% in 1990 to 52% in 2015 before decreasing to 26% in 2018.

Renewable energy accounted for 4% of Ireland’s total final energy consumption in 2018. This was the lowest in the EU along with the Netherlands. Latvia had the highest share of renewable energy in 2018 at 27%.

Oil accounted for 53% of Ireland’s total final energy consumption in 2018 compared with an EU28 average of 37%. Sweden was the EU Member State with the lowest share of oil used in final energy consumption at 23%, while Luxembourg had the highest share at 61%.

The amount of renewable energy production in Ireland has increased from 168 kilotonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe) in 1990 to 1,326 ktoe in 2018.

Wind has been the main source of renewable energy production in Ireland in recent years. In 2018, 56% of renewable energy production was attributable to wind and 29% to biomass. The share of renewable energy accounted for by hydro power fell from 36% in 1990 to 5% in 2018.

The share of renewable energy sources used in the generation of electricity in Ireland has increased from 5% in 1990 to 33% in 2018.

Wind is the main source of renewables used in electricity generation, with its share rising from 0% in 1990 to 28% of the total ktoe used to generate electricity in Ireland in 2018.

Ireland’s share of renewable sources in total electricity generation in 2018 at 33.2% was 12^th highest among EU Member States and close to the EU average of 32.1%.

Austria had the highest proportion of total electricity generated from renewable sources at 73.1% and Malta the lowest at 7.7% in 2018.

Consumption of heat from renewable energy sources in Ireland has grown from 2.6% in 1990 to 6.5% in 2018. Biomass accounted for 5.0% of total heat consumption in 2018. 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 0.1% of total transport energy consumption in 2006 to 7.2% in 2018. Biodiesel accounted for 88% of renewable energy sources used in transport in 2018.

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 2008 at 15.1 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe). It decreased to 10.1 million toe in 2018.

The proportion of net fuel imports accounted for by natural gas varied from an average annual 0% in 1990-1994 to 34% between 2010-2014 before falling to 17% in 2018.

Crude oil and other oil products (such as diesel, gasoline and jet kerosene) accounted for 73% of all Irish net fuel imports in 2018.

The proportion of net fuel imports accounted for by coal products was 8% in 2018 down from a peak of 29% in 1991 and 1992.