Ireland relied on fossil fuels for more than 80 per cent of the country’s energy consumption last year, despite ongoing efforts to decarbonise, new figures show.
Wind and solar power, meanwhile, generated more than 40 per cent of electricity used in the Republic, ranking it eighth out of the world’s top 10 countries for its use.
The data is contained in a report from global body, the Energy Institute, published on Friday.
Fossil fuels accounted for 81.4 per cent of overall Irish energy consumption last year, an increase of 0.7 per cent on 2023.
RM Block
The Energy Institute’s statistical review of world energy showed the Republic used 148,700 barrels of oil a day last year, up from 147,500 the previous year.
Continued reliance on oil and gas to power transport and manufacturing partly accounted for the dependence on fossil fuels, said James Delahunt, head of energy & natural resources, Ireland, with accountants KPMG, which collaborated on the institute’s report.
He argued that the findings “underscored the need to prioritise policies” to deliver renewable energy.
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Despite the levels of fossil fuel use, Mr Delahunt said the report also confirmed the State was making progress in boosting green energy use and cutting carbon dioxide emissions.
“The statistical review shows that Ireland has the capability and resources to build on the successes delivered in 2024,” he said.
According to State body, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, total greenhouse gas emissions last year fell 2 per cent to 53.75 million tonnes.
Tony Lowes, of Friends of the Irish Environment, argued that the Energy Institute’s report demonstrated the Government’s continued failure to meet legal obligations to make specific plans to cut emissions in line with the Paris Accord.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment said that the Government had pledged to cut reliance on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 51 per cent from 2018 to 2030.
Under the Paris Agreement, Ireland faces fines estimated at up to €26 billion if it fails to cut emissions by that amount in 2030 and reach “net zero” by 2050.
