Emissions from power generation and industry in Ireland have decreased by 17% last year, according to latest figures from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Declining by more than 2.4 million tonnes, those emissions stood at 12.19 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) last year. Across the EU, these emissions fell by around 15.5%.
The figures published by the EPA are part of its preliminary analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2023 from the Emissions Trading System (ETS) sector.
The ETS covers emissions from electricity and heat generation, energy-intensive industry sectors, including oil refineries, aviation, and maritime transport across the EU.
Emissions
The decline in Ireland’s emissions from the ETS sector was due to higher imports of electricity, the use of renewable electricity and renewable fuels, and a fall in cement production.
Emissions from electricity generation fell by almost 24%, while industrial emissions were down over 6%, with cement industry emissions decreasing by 6.2%, the EPA said.
“While Ireland is increasingly moving away from coal generation, we still rely heavily on fossil fuels to meet our electricity demand.
“Ireland must continue to put a priority on renewable generation infrastructure to deliver grid decarbonisation,” EPA director general, Laura Burke said.
In contrast, GHG emissions from aviation increased by more than 9% compared to 2022 to over 11 million tonnes which, the EPA said, reflects continued growth in this sector.
Emissions from the food and drink sector in Ireland showed a decrease in emissions of more than 3%, the EPA said. Agricultural emissions are not included in the ETS.
Emissions from bulk manufacturing of pharmaceuticals decreased by more than 6%, while emissions from the manufacture of pharmaceutical preparations rose by almost 3%.
ETS
The ETS covers large energy users and electricity generators. In total, 109 major industrial and power generation sites were required to report their emissions for 2023 to the EPA by March 31.
These included sites operating in the power generation, cement, lime, and oil refining sectors, as well as large companies in sectors such as food and drink, pharmaceuticals and semi-conductors.
The ETS sets emissions allowances, meaning a cap on total GHG emissions that can be emitted. One allowance gives the right to emit one tonne of CO2 equivalent emissions.
Within the cap, companies primarily buy allowances on the EU carbon market, but they also receive some allowances for free, according to the European Commission.
Companies can also trade allowances with each other as needed. If an emitter under the ETS reduces its emissions, it can either keep the spare allowances to use in the future or sell them.