Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Spending on gas for electricity in Ireland was cut by almost one billion euro last year, as wind energy supplied 32 per cent of Ireland’s electricity. Irish wind farms saved €748 million on gas, which would have been predominantly imported, and a further €268 million in carbon credits in Ireland. An additional €213 million was saved on gas and carbon credits in Northern Ireland, bringing total all-island savings to more than €1.2 billion.

These figures come from the latest annual Cutting Carbon, Cutting Bills report from Baringa, which analyses the annual savings in gas consumption delivered by wind energy.

Electricity savings were particularly high in March, the strongest month for wind energy generation last year, and December, the month with the highest gas prices, with €120 million and €170 million saved respectively.

The displaced gas also meant a saving of 5 million tonnes of CO2 across the island, equivalent to the annual emissions of 1.8 million cars.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Once again this report highlights the critical role Irish wind farms are playing in driving down Irish energy costs, cutting our carbon emissions and reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels. Rather than importing hundreds of millions of euro of gas, Irish wind farms ensured money stayed where it belongs, at home, supporting Irish workers and businesses.”

However, further savings were prevented due to insufficient grid capacity which meant Ireland was unable to take full advantage of its windiest months.

Noel Cunniffe continued: “Last year Ireland reached record levels of wind energy generation capacity, with over 5,000 MW of onshore generation capacity now installed. However, it was also the worst year on record for the amount of wind power lost due to challenges with electricity grid capacity.

“Every time a wind turbine is shut down because the grid can’t take the electricity, it means higher bills and more carbon emissions. This report further highlights the urgent need to reinforce our grid infrastructure, so that we can get more wind energy on the grid and allow consumers to fully benefit from Ireland’s renewable transition.

“As we saw during Storm Éowyn, resilience of our electricity grid is key to meeting growing demand while ensuring a secure and sustainable energy future. We welcome the recent announcement by Minister Darragh O’Brien TD of new plans from the Government to strengthen our electricity grid to protect families and businesses vulnerable to these kinds of weather events.”