Ireland imports 80% of our energy
Ireland imports 80% of its energy needs, despite the increase in wind farms generating renewable electricity.
As the economy booms, Ireland still massively depends on imported energy, especially fossil fuels, to sustain industrial activity and jobs, a new CSO report says.
The State imported more than three-quarters of its energy last year.
This was the fourth-highest rate in the EU after Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus, and significantly ahead of the 57% average.
The rate was almost 89% ten years ago, in 2015, but dropped sharply to less than 70% in 2016 when the Corrib gas field came on line.
But as Corrib’s production has waned, energy imports have started to increase again.
Imported oil was the dominant fuel, 60% of Ireland’s imported fossil fuel energy requirement, followed by natural gas at 36%, and the remainder coal and peat, in 2024.
Statistician Morgan O’Donnell, of the CSO Sustainability division, said: “Decreasing energy consumption and shifting away from imported fossil fuels could support a more resilient, sustainable and competitive economy.
“For enterprises, improved energy efficiency may reduce operating costs, improving competitiveness, while enterprises that depend less on fossil fuels may be less exposed to volatility in energy prices and supply disruption,” he said.
“From an environmental perspective, lower fossil fuel use could lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, helping to contribute to Ireland’s targets of reducing emissions by 51% by 2030 (compared with 2018 levels) and to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.”
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said increasing our production of renewables is the only way to achieve energy independence and stop our reliance on imports.
“Ireland needs to generate our own energy, so we can make our own choices,” he said.
“The only way to achieve true fuel security for Ireland is to stop importing it.
“Our country will remain vulnerable to energy shocks until we transition to renewable sources of energy in wind and solar. What is needed now are big and bold actions.
“There is an urgency with which we need to protect Irish households from this energy price shock, and the next one which probably isn’t far down the road,” he said.
Ireland is too dependent on imported fuels and needs to reduce its reliance on imports, according to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment.
A spokesman said: “The energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East highlights why we must reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels and develop our own energy security and strength.
“As an island nation with limited fossil fuel reserves, this means developing our own renewable energy resources, particularly in the area of electricity, and deepening our electricity interconnection with trusted European peers.
“Since 2015, we have more than doubled the share of electricity in our system that comes from renewable sources, from 19% in 2015 to over 40% in 2025.”
However, Ireland’s total primary energy requirement remained heavily fossil fuel-dependent, with 81% of our energy requirement satisfied by fossil fuels last year. Ireland generally holds around 90 days’ worth of oil stocks, in line with most EU member states, although some of these reserves may be held outside the EU to meet this requirement.
The CSO report added: “The enterprise economy relies significantly on energy supplies to maintain activity, with transport fuels, mainly for aviation, and natural gas accounting for three-quarters of energy consumed by the enterprise economy in 2023.
Roderic O’Gorman said increasing our production of renewables is the only way to achieve energy independence and stop our reliance on imports. Photo: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie
“In 2024, Ireland’s energy import dependency was 80%, the fourth-highest in the EU after Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus, and significantly ahead of the EU average of 57%,” it said.
Meanwhile, imports of electricity through the interconnector with Britain more than trebled from 5% in 2022 to 16% last year.
