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Irish Examiner
14-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Irish wind farms see record June with share of electricity rising to 30%
The share of electricity demand met by Irish wind farms rose slightly last month, growing to 30% in June. The monthly report from Wind Energy Ireland also shows that the demand for electricity during June increased marginally from 3,019 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to 3,151 GWh in the same month last year. Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: 'Our members provided nearly a third of Ireland's electricity during the first half of 2025, and last month was a particularly strong June for renewable energy generation. 'If we can accelerate the delivery of new wind and solar farms, we can continue to reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels and put money back in people's pockets.' The report confirms that wind energy generated 939 GWh in June, up from 771 GWh during the same month last year. The average wholesale price of electricity per megawatt hour dropped for the fifth month in a row to €95.21, the report found, marking the first time average wholesale prices have dropped under €100 so far this year and the lowest since April 2024. On the days with the most wind power, the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity last month was €67.15, but this rose to €115.06 on days when fossil fuels were almost entirely relied on. 'Affordability is critically important to Irish families and businesses," Mr Cunniffe added. 'Every time a wind turbine or a set of solar panels is generating electricity, it is pushing down wholesale electricity prices and increasing our supply of clean energy.' Based on data provided by Green Collective, Kerry wind farms provided more electricity than any other county last month, with 105 GWh of power, around 11% of the country's wind energy. This was followed by Cork (83 GWh), then Mayo (65 GWh), Galway (64 GWh) and Offaly (61 GWh). 'Last year, wind farms like those in Kerry, Cork and Mayo helped Ireland save more than €1.2bn on gas spending," said Mr Cunniffe. 'Rather than importing hundreds of millions of euros of gas, Irish wind farms ensured money stayed where it belongs, at home, supporting Irish workers and businesses.' 'To meet the needs of our growing economy, we need to accelerate the delivery of new wind farms, and we are committed to working with the Government to help make this happen.'
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Kerry and Cork tops as wind farms generate 35% of Irish electricity
Wind farms generated 35% of Ireland's electricity over the first four months of 2025, according to industry body Wind Energy Ireland. Average wholesale power prices fell for the third month in a row in April. The average wholesale cost of electricity has fallen from €167.51 in January to €111.11 in April, though this remains higher than prices for the same period last year. On days in April with the most wind power the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity was €101.33 but this rose to €124.20 on days when we relied almost entirely on fossil fuels. Demand for electricity during April 2025 fell marginally to 3,307 gigawatt-hours (GWh) from 3,315 GWh in the same month last year. The share of electricity demand met by wind energy last month was 28%, and over the four months has provided more than a third of Ireland's demand, Wind Energy Ireland chief executive Noel Cunniffe said. "At a time when our economy is under threat from tariffs, energy costs and global uncertainty we have a solution, ready-made, here in Ireland. Irish wind farms have cut bills by almost €1.7bn since 2020, that's around €320 per person," said Mr Cunniffe. Mr Cunniffe said Ireland spends €1m every hour importing fossil fuels, and estimated that tripling our onshore wind capacity would drive costs down. "Onshore wind energy is Ireland's most affordable source of new electricity. The more wind energy that we can develop, the less we rely on imported fossils fuels, and the better protected Irish families and businesses are from a volatile fossil fuel market," he said. Data from Green Collective showed Kerry wind farms provided most electricity in April with 111 GWh of power, around 12 per cent of the country's wind energy, followed by Cork (91 GWh), then Galway (63 GWh), Mayo (62 GWh), and Tyrone (59 GWh). Earlier this month, minister for climate, environment, energy, and transport Darragh O'Brien announced that work has started on a new national map to identify locations where future wind farms can be national Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore wind will be developed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and will involve extensive data-gathering and public consultation. It is due to be completed by the end of 2027. In April, a study by planning and environmental consultancy MKO commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland calculated that Ireland's capacity for further onshore wind development could triple.
