Environmental Indicators Ireland 2021

Total average annual primary energy production in Ireland was 3.5 million tonnes of oil equivalent (toe) in 1990. It fell to 1.3 million toe in 2012, before rising subsequently. In 2019 it was 4.1 million toe.

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 52% in 2019.

Peat products varied between 25% and 58% of total primary energy production over the 1990-2015 period. In 2016 to 2018 they were around 16%, before falling to 9% in 2019.

The share of renewable energy in primary energy production increased from 5% in 1990 to 58% in 2012 before decreasing to 24% in 2016 and 2017. By 2019 it had increased to 35% of primary energy production.

Renewable energy accounted for 4.3% of Ireland’s total final energy consumption in 2019. This was the joint lowest in the EU along with Luxembourg. Finland had the highest share of renewable energy in 2019 at 27.4%.

Oil accounted for 52.4% of Ireland’s total final energy consumption in 2019 compared with an EU28 average of 37.2%. Sweden was the EU member state with the lowest share of oil used in final energy consumption at 22.6%, while Luxembourg had the highest share at 61.0%.

The amount of renewable energy production in Ireland has increased from 168 kilotonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe) in 1990 to 1,461 ktoe in 2019.

Wind has been the main source of renewable energy production in Ireland in recent years. In 2019, 59% of renewable energy production was attributable to wind and 26% to biomass. The share of renewable energy accounted for by hydro power fell from 36% in 1990 to 5% in 2019.

The share of renewable energy sources used in the generation of electricity in Ireland has increased from 5% in 1990 to 38% in 2019.

Wind is the main source of renewables used in electricity generation, with its share rising from 0% in 1990 to 32% of the total ktoe used to generate electricity in Ireland in 2019.

Ireland’s share of renewable sources in total electricity generation in 2019 at 36.5% was 11^th highest among EU Member States and close to the EU average of 34.2%.

Austria had the highest proportion of total electricity generated from renewable sources at 75.1% and Malta the lowest at 8.0% in 2019.

Renewable energy sources used in transport have grown from 0.1% of total transport energy consumption in 2006 to 8.9% in 2019. Biodiesel accounted for 90% of renewable energy sources used in transport in 2019.

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 9.9 million toe in 2017 before rising to 10.3 million toe in 2019.

The proportion of net fuel imports accounted for by natural gas varied from 0% in 1990 to 32.8% in 2010 before falling to 23.5% in 2019.

Crude oil and other oil products (such as diesel, gasoline and jet kerosene) accounted for 72.4% of all Irish net fuel imports in 2019.

The proportion of net fuel imports accounted for by coal products and peat was 2.0% in 2019 down from 28.1% in 1990.