Ireland's energy emissions hit 30-year low, but energy use keeps rising
New SEAI data for 2025 show emissions falling, with the power sector at a record low – but energy use is rising, driven partly by data centers.
Symbolic image · Photo: Mat Fascione / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Ireland's energy-related greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2025 to their lowest level in more than 30 years, according to new data from the state-run Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) reported on Oct. 26. Power-sector emissions reached a record low, and emissions from transport and heat also declined. Absolute emission figures are omitted here because the numbers in the available report are inconsistent with one another.
Renewables met a record 16.0% of primary energy demand, and solar power generation rose 50%. At the same time, net energy consumption grew 0.6% to its highest level since 2008, and electricity demand rose 3.7% to 34.1 terawatt-hours. Data centers accounted for 22.5% of demand. Transport and heat still rely on fossil fuels for 91.9% and 88.6% of their energy, respectively.
"We're managing to reduce our emissions, but not fast enough," SEAI Chief Executive William Walsh said. The agency's National Energy Projections 2026 say Ireland must cut energy use 15% by 2030 to meet EU commitments, but current projections point to a 10% increase instead.