The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) today (Dec 17, 2025) published the Energy in Ireland 2025 report, providing definitive national data on energy supply, demand, and related emissions up to the end of 2024, with provisional estimates for 2025.
The report comes as Ireland nears the end of the first-ever national carbon budget and the midpoint of the crucial 2020 to 2030 decade, during which we are legally obliged to halve our emissions. Energy data from 1990-2024 shows we have made meaningful reductions in energy-related emissions for many years. But the same data highlights an urgent need to double-down on current efforts to tackle the scale of action required.
Since 2018, the baseline year for the national carbon budgets, total energy-related emissions have fallen by 16%, with electricity generation emissions decreasing by 32%. These reductions were achieved despite population growth of 10%, increased electricity demand of 18%, and a growing economy. This demonstrates that significant reductions are possible, when backed by strong policy, investment, and public participation working together.
However, Ireland's energy-related emissions are currently only falling at an average of 2.7%, which is well short of the more than 5% pace needed to meet our 2030 climate commitments. Ireland urgently needs to do more of what is already working including increasing the roll-out of wind and solar PV generation, home energy upgrades, heat-pumps, and electric vehicles. As well as accelerating new approaches such as district heating networks and grid and storage infrastructure.
"Energy - how and where we use it, is central to all our ambitions as a country. In moving away from fossil fuels, we are moving towards a more secure, healthier, more competitive economy and society.
We're now at the end of Ireland's first-ever carbon budget. We are making progress while also growing our population and economy - but we need to pick up the pace and do a lot more. We haven't broken the link between economic development and fossil fuels in a structural, meaningful way yet, and that is a concern.
The good news is today's results show what is possible. We're keeping the lights on using cleaner energy - 41% of our electricity now comes from wind, solar, and other renewables. We're making progress, and by accelerating delivery - in grid investment and offshore wind infrastructure in particular, we can do a lot more to secure affordable energy for homes and businesses across Ireland.
New technologies such as district heating - which pipes waste and renewable sources of heat into people's homes and businesses will also be crucial. As will our National Retrofit Programme which this year upgraded around 60,000 homes, making them warmer and more comfortable to live in, while also helping with energy bills.
Everything we want to achieve as a country flows from the energy we use. The SEAI Energy in Ireland report is the definitive guide to Ireland's energy system - an invaluable resource for shaping the future we want to create."William Walsh, CEO SEAI
In terms of sectoral trends, transport emissions are down 5.3% compared with 2018. With average reductions of 0.9% per year, this is well below the reduction rate needed to keep within the emission ceiling in the first carbon budget. Insights from the report highlight that a significant shift from private car use to active travel and public transport is needed, particularly for shorter journeys. Positive progress has been made in our public and active transport infrastructure, with the rollout of cycleways, Local Links, Bus Connects, and the sign-off of DART+ and Luas extension. This investment needs to continue with the delivery of further projects, including the long-awaited Metrolink.
Electricity generation delivered some of the fastest emission reductions. These reductions were driven primarily by the phasing out of peat, coal and significant volumes of gas-fired generation, made possible through increased renewable generation and net electricity imports. Solar PV generation was up by almost 70% on the previous year. Wind deployment lagged behind projections but still delivered almost a third of last year's electricity consumption.
