Spending on gas for electricity in Ireland was cut by almost €1bn last year, as wind energy supplied 32% of Ireland’s electricity. Irish wind farms saved €748m on gas, which would have been predominantly imported, and a further €268m in carbon credits in Ireland.

An additional €213m was saved on gas and carbon credits in Northern Ireland, bringing total all-island savings to more than €1.2bn.

These figures come from the latest annual Cutting Carbon, Cutting Bills report from Baringa, which analyses the annual savings in gas consumption delivered by wind energy.

Highest gas prices

Electricity savings were particularly high in March, the strongest month for wind energy generation last year, and December, the month with the highest gas prices, with €120m  and €170m saved respectively.

The displaced gas also meant a saving of five million tonnes of CO2 across the island, equivalent to the annual emissions of 1.8 million cars.

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Once again this report highlights the critical role Irish wind farms are playing in driving down Irish energy costs, cutting our carbon emissions and reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels.

“Rather than importing hundreds of millions of euro of gas, Irish wind farms ensured money stayed where it belongs, at home, supporting Irish workers and businesses.

However, further savings were prevented due to insufficient grid capacity which meant Ireland was unable to take full advantage of its windiest months.

“Last year Ireland reached record levels of wind energy generation capacity, with more than 5,000MW of onshore generation capacity now installed. However, it was also the worst year on record for the amount of wind power lost due to challenges with electricity grid capacity.

“Every time a wind turbine is shut down because the grid can’t take the electricity, it means higher bills and more carbon emissions. This report further highlights the urgent need to reinforce our grid infrastructure, so that we can get more wind energy on the grid and allow consumers to fully benefit from Ireland’s renewable transition.

“As we saw during Storm Éowyn, resilience of our electricity grid is key to meeting growing demand while ensuring a secure and sustainable energy future. We welcome the recent announcement by Minister Darragh O’Brien of new plans from the government to strengthen our electricity grid to protect families and businesses vulnerable to these kinds of weather events.”

January wind energy report 

In January 2025 wind continued to play an important role in Ireland's energy mix as shown in Wind Energy Ireland’s monthly wind energy dashboard. Last month saw wind energy provide a third of Ireland’s electricity and a total of 1,272GWh of electricity was generated.

The average wholesale price of electricity in Ireland per megawatt-hour was €167.51. On the windiest days, the cost of a megawatt-hour dropped to €125.72, while on days when Ireland relied almost entirely on fossil fuels, prices surged to €243.05, partly due to increases in gas prices in recent months.

County generation

Based on data provided by Green Collective, Cork led the country in wind energy production, generating 150GWh, accounting for 11.7% of Ireland’s wind power. It was followed by Kerry (147GWh), Offaly (93GWh), Tipperary (82GWh), and Galway (81GWh). January 2025 also recorded the lowest carbon intensity for the month at 217g/kWh.

Meanwhile, electricity demand increased by 2% compared to the previous year, likely due to a cold snap early in the month, though demand dipped following Storm Éowyn when many homes and businesses lost power.

Cunniffe added: “Last month was devastating for so many families and communities across the country who were without power for so long. Despite fantastic efforts by ESB Networks teams to restore power many tens of thousands of people were left without electricity for weeks.

“The immediate focus of state agencies has rightly been on restoring power to all homes and businesses. But the focus must move soon to building a more resilient electricity network to protect us from even fiercer storms in the future.

“Strengthening our grid infrastructure is a vital investment in our future. It will help to further protect our electricity supply and we look forward to working with the government to support this work and deliver on our clean energy future.”