In 2021, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Irish power-generation and industrial companies – covered by the EU Emissions Trading System – increased by 15% or 2 million tonnes.
This is according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which recently released its preliminary analysis of GHG emissions in 2021.
In Ireland 105 major industrial and institutional sites were required to report their emissions for 2021 by March 31, 2022 under the Emissions Trading System.
These include sites operating in the power-generation, cement, lime, and oil-refining sectors.
Also included are large companies in sectors such as food and drink, pharmaceuticals and semi-conductors.
Other key findings:
- Emissions increased by 21% from the electricity generation sector, due to increased electricity demand, less wind power availability, and use of older plants including a coal fired plant;
- The overall increase in industrial emissions is about 7% with the cement industry emissions increasing by 17%;
- GHG emissions from aviation increased by 11% compared to 2020, which reflects some recovery from the impact of Covid-19.
Emissions increase
The increase in emissions is largely due to increased carbon intensity of Ireland’s electricity production in 2021, according to the EPA.
Several factors came together to compound this such as a decrease in wind power availability; some relatively modern gas-fired plants being offline; and an increase in electricity demand.
Older plants, including the coal-fired plant at Moneypoint, were used to ensure that power was available.
Director general of the EPA, Laura Burke, said:
“Ireland’s Emissions Trading System sector delivered a decrease in emissions from 2017 to 2019, largely due to the higher level of renewables on the national grid and, again, in 2020 because of Covid-19.
“The increase we are seeing for the 2021 sector is disappointing and is a reminder of the need for policies and decisions which support sustained emissions reductions in power generation and industrial emissions.
“The challenges faced in the power-generation sector are in sharp focus at the moment. We must ensure that we are taking decisions now which recognise the urgency of the climate change challenge and that will deliver reductions in emissions,” she said.
Aside from power generation, the increase in industrial emissions, collectively, is 7%
Cement industries recorded a 17% increase overall; and emissions from pharma-chem industries increased by 3%.
Aviation emissions from flights within the European Economic Area (reported to Ireland by March 31) increased by 11%, compared to 2020, to 5.3 million tonnes.
This is still much lower than the pre-pandemic levels of 12.8 million tonnes.
Some restructuring of routes has taken place and the operators of the new routes may not be reporting to Ireland, but emissions data reflect that recovery of the sector was slow in 2021.