Energy-related CO2 emissions fell by 1.2% in 2018, according to the latest publication of Energy in Ireland, an annual report by the SEAI which presents the key trends in energy production and consumption.
Published on 12 December 2019, the report shows how Ireland’s energy system is evolving in response to decarbonisation policy, economic growth and increased demand for energy services. Unusually for Europe, Ireland’s overall demand for energy continues to rise, but despite this increased demand, energy-related CO2 emissions fell slightly. The largest contributing factor to this fall was the reduction in coal used for electricity generation due to a technical fault at coal-fired generator, Moneypoint.
The report marks Ireland’s performance against the Renewable Energy Targets which state at least 16% of gross final energy consumption (GFC) must come from renewables by 2020. This is a mandatory target under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and is typically split into three modes: Electricity, Transport and Heat. Transport remains the largest energy-consuming mode since 2013, closely followed by heat. Electricity is consistently the smallest share of final demand.
