Greenhouse gas emissions from Irish power generation and industrial companies covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) decreased by 17% or 2.4 million tonnes last year, according to a new report from the European Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.
The greatest reduction was seen in electricity generation where emissions fell by nearly 24%. This was due to a reduction in the use of coal generation and increased use of wind and solar powered electricity.
There was also greater use of imported electricity. Emissions from electricity generated outside Ireland are not included in this country's emissions figures.
Reacting to the decrease, EPA Director General Laura Burke said decarbonisation of power generation must continue to be prioritised.
"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," said Ms Burke.
Industrial emissions decreased by just over 6% in 2023 compared with 2022. Within this sector the cement industry recorded a 6.2% decrease, mainly due to a drop in production.
Emissions from the food and drink sector dropped more than 3%, while emissions from bulk manufacturing of pharmaceuticals decreased by more than 6%.
However emission from the aviation sector continued to grow, up 9% on 2022, reflecting ongoing growth in the sector.
Aviation emission in 2023 amounted to over 11 million tonnes, which is still lower than the pre-pandemic levels of 12.8 million tonnes.
The overall reduction in the Irish ETS sector of 17% equates to more than 2.4 million tonnes and brought emissions from the sector down to 12.19 million tonnes of CO2. This compares with a decrease of approximately 15.5% across Europe, according to data published by the EU Commission.
109 major industrial and electricity generation sites in Ireland are covered by the EU Emission trading system and are required to report their emissions to the EPA every year by 31 March.
Emissions from other domestic sectors such as agriculture and transport are not covered under the EU Emissions Trading System.
