Ireland's State of the Environment Report 2024

316 Chapter 12: Environment and Energy coal, 19.2% less peat and 7.2% less natural gas than in 2022, while there was an increase of 9.5% (+2.0 TWh) in energy from renewables and of 11.6% (+0.2 TWh) in energy from non-renewable waste. In addition, there was a substantial and unprecedented 1200% (+3.0 TWh) increase in net imports of electricity (SEAI, 2024c). The trends in TPER in Ireland over the period 1990- 2023 are presented in Figure 12.5. (SEAI, 2024a). The continued dominance of oil in Ireland’s energy supply mix is evident, as is the growth in dependence on natural gas in particular over the past 25 years. The reduction in the use of solid fuels (coal and peat) is also apparent in Figure 12.5, along with the steady growth in renewable energy. Figure 12.4  Breakdown by fuel of Ireland’s total primary energy requirement in 2023 ˜ Oil ˜ Natural Gas ˜ Renewables ˜ Coal ˜ Net electricity imports ˜ Peat ˜ Waste non-renewables Peat 1.3% Waste 1% Imports 2% Renewables 14% Oil 48.8% Natural Gas 29.4% Coal 3.3% Source: Adapted from SEAI (2024b) Figure 12.5  Total primary energy requirement in Ireland, 1990-2023 ˜ Oil ˜ Natural gas ˜ Renewables ˜ Coal ˜ Peat ˜ Non-renewable wastes ˜ Net electricity imports TWh 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 Source: SEAI, 2024a