The overall demand for gas fell by 20% in July, one of Ireland’s wettest Julys on record, when compared to the same month last year, according to a new report.
Gas Networks Ireland said that gas demand was also down by 8% on June.
Year-on-year, gas demand fell by 46% in the construction sector, by 32% in offices and by 31% in education.
Demand for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) increased by 26% month-on-month and by 7% year-on-year.
CNG is made by compressing natural gas down to less than 1% of its volume.
Gas Networks Ireland said this is a more environmentally friendly fuel than petrol or diesel.
Gas demand
The report shows that gas generated 48% of Ireland’s electricity in July.
This is a decline of 17% compared to June, when gas generated 58% of Ireland’s electricity, and a 23% decrease on its 62% contribution in July 2022.
Wind energy had one of its strongest Julys on record – generating 35% of all electricity in the state.
Wind peaked at 78%, but given the variable nature of weather-dependent renewable energy sources, there were also times during the month when the wind supply dropped almost completely and contributed less than 1% of electricity generation.
Coal contributed 3% to Ireland’s electricity generation in July, peaking at 13%.
Commenting on the report, Brian Mullins, Gas Networks Ireland’s acting director of strategy and regulation, said:
“Ireland’s energy systems harnessed an impressive level of wind energy when it was available in July, and backed it up with gas, when wind was not available.
“Gas’ contribution to electricity generation peaked at 86% and never fell below 12% at any point in July,” he said.
“It’s great to see the continued increase in demand for CNG. Ireland’s commercial transport fleet makes up just 3% of vehicles on the road yet is responsible for approximately a fifth of transport’s carbon emissions. It’s also one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise.
“While electricity is a proven alternate fuel for cars, electric solutions are not a viable option for use in heavy goods commercial vehicles. However, CNG is, and can reduce a heavy goods vehicle’s (HGV’s) emissions by up to 22%,” Mullins added.