Growing demand sparked a 20 per cent surge in electricity imports to the Republic, according to new figures from State body the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
The news comes just days after national grid operator Eirgrid predicted that imports would bolster supplies this winter as a squeeze on electricity generation here continues.
SEAI’s half-year review of energy and emissions states that imports of power from Britain and the North increased 21.9 per cent in the first six months of this year.
According to the State agency, the Republic bought 3 terra watt hours (TW/h) of electricity in the six months to June 30th, enough to supply almost 1.5 million homes over that time.
RM Block
During the same period in 2024, the State imported around 2.5 TW/h, the report states.
Total electricity supplies in the first half of this year were 17.6 TW/h, against 17.1 in the opening six months of 2024.
SEAI notes that the increase in power supplies from January to June “came mainly from an increased use of imported electricity”.
Supplies from power stations based in the Republic slipped 0.5 per cent to 14.6 TW/h in the period to the end of June, SEAI adds.
Eirgrid recently confirmed that it expects the Republic to draw around 20 per cent of its electricity from power lines connected to Britain and the North this winter.
Industry figures say British power companies in particular export electricity to the Republic to cash in on high energy prices here.
In January this year, a second interconnector, the Green Link, running between the east coast and Wales, began supplying electricity.
Power can run in either direction through such lines, but in recent years, they have been mainly used to import it to the Republic.
Along with the two lines connecting the Republic with Britain, another runs across the Border, linking the two sides of the Irish single electricity market.
Eirgrid believes electricity demand in the Republic could hit a record of 6,044 mega watts this winter, up from the latest high of 6,024, reached on the evening of January 8th.
SEAI’s figures show that the amount of electricity supplied by power plants here and interconnectors rose 13 per cent to 34.3 TW/h over the five years to the end of 2024.
Meanwhile, the authority predicts that the Republic’s two million or so homes are likely to meet greenhouse gas emissions targets, unless there is an extended cold snap before the end of the year.
Milder weather, high energy prices and the Government’s insulation scheme cut residential demand for gas and kerosene in the early part of 2025, SEAI says.
Commenting on the report, Margie McCarthy, SEAI’s director of research and policy insights acknowledged that while the switch from fossil fuels involved challenges there were long-term benefits.
These included better heated homes and more energy-efficient businesses, she said.
“We simply cannot afford not to act. Either as individuals or as a society,”Ms McCarthy said.
