I propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 400 together.
The average daily electricity demand requirement in Ireland is approximately 79 GWh (gigawatt hours). In the period from May 2018 to April 2019 non-fossil-fuel renewables (including hydro) accounted for approximately 33% of our total electricity demand.
This information is available on EirGrid’s website and updated on a monthly basis: http://www.eirgridgroup.com. This website also lists the installed capacity of each hydro-electric station attached to the transmission grid.
Details in relation to hydro-electric stations on the distribution grid are available on the ESB Networks website at: https://www.esbnetworks.ie
The following is the latest available 12-month electricity fuel mix table for Ireland (May 2018 to April 2019):
|
|
Ireland
|
Fuel
|
GWh
|
%
|
Coal
|
1,027.2
|
3.5%
|
Oil
|
81.9
|
0.3%
|
Peat
|
2,339.5
|
8.1%
|
Gas
|
15,302.4
|
52.7%
|
Wind
|
8,716.4
|
30.0%
|
Hydro
|
615.0
|
2.1%
|
Other Renewable
|
193.1
|
0.7%
|
Other Non-Renewable
|
530.9
|
1.8%
|
Net Imports
|
218.4
|
0.8%
|
Total Electricity Demand
|
29,024.8
|
100.0%
|
Total Renewables
|
9,524.6
|
32.8%
|
In overall terms, according to the 2018 Energy in Ireland report published by the SEAI, the use of renewables in electricity generation in 2017 reduced C02 emissions by 3.3 Mt and avoided €278 million in fossil fuel imports.