Ireland’s demand for gas in June was down by 9% when compared to the same month last year, according to a new report.
According to Gas Networks Ireland, demand in June fell by 10% on the previous month.
The warm weather in June contributed to a reduced need for heating in homes, resulting in a 53% decrease in gas demand from the residential sector month-on-month.
As the school holidays began, demand from the education sector fell 57% from May, while there were also month-on-month declines in offices (-47%), leisure/sport arenas (-31%) and retail sectors (-27%).
Compared to June 2022, demand fell in the residential (-47%), construction (-46%), office2 (-32%), education1 (-31%) and leisure/sport arenas (-25%) sectors.
In the first six months of 2023, overall gas demand increased slightly on the last six months of 2022, but fell by 2% when compared to the first six months of 2022.
Report
The report states that gas generated 58% of Ireland’s total electricity powered in June – a similar contribution to the 57% in both the previous month, and in June last year.
Wind energy generated 23% of electricity, as it did in May; however, this was down on the 29% contribution it made in June 2022.
At its peak, gas provided 87% of electricity generation during the month, and 13% at its lowest level.
Wind energy’s contribution ranged from 1% to 77%, coal contributed 4%.
In the first half of the year, gas generated 9% more of the country’s electricity (49%) than it did in the same period last year, while wind energy’s contribution fell 6% to 34%.
At times during the period from January to June 2023, gas powered almost 90% of the country’s electricity, peaking at 89% and never dropping below 16% on any day in the six-month period.
Wind peaked at 79% but given the variable nature of the weather, there were also times in the first half of the year when the wind supply dropped completely and provided little or no electricity generation.
Gas Networks Ireland said that although demand for gas is expected to be higher in summer 2023 than last year, it does not expect any disruption to supply.
“We are working to increasingly replace natural gas with renewable gases and use the existing renewables-ready 14,664km national gas network to reduce carbon emissions across a number of key sectors, while also enhancing Ireland’s energy security and diversity,” Brian Mullins, Gas Network Ireland’s acting director of strategy and regulation, said.
“Ireland’s national gas network is a ready-made decarbonisation solution that can be leveraged to accommodate both the renewable gas of today – biomethane made from farm and food waste – and the renewable gas of the future – green hydrogen produced from offshore wind,” he said.