New figures from Gas Network Ireland show that overall gas demand increased by 17% in January, compared to December.
Gas Networks Ireland said that January 8 recorded the highest ever gas demand, with January 9 ranking as the third highest due to both high demand for electricity generation and low temperatures.
Today's figures show that gas played a critical role in the country's electricity generation in January, contributing 44% to overall electricity generation.
This was up from 38% in December and was two percentage points higher than January 2024.
Gas generation peaked at 83% last month and never dropped below 11%.
Gas Networks Ireland said that during Storm Eowyn, which severely impacted some parts of the country on January 24, gas provided 42% of electricity generation, while wind contributed 36%.
Between January 20-22, gas accounted for 68% of electricity generation (peaking at 83%), while wind contributed 5% during this period of high demand.
Gas Networks Ireland said this highlighted how critical the flexibility of the gas network is in power generation as the country transitions to renewable future.
"January was a good month to demonstrate both the resilience of Ireland's gas network and the always dependable backup it provides to the country - whether during the cold weather event at the start of the month or during Storm Eowyn," Gas Networks Ireland's Director of Strategy and Regulation, Edwina Nyhan, said.
"As a critical part of Ireland's energy system, gas and the gas network ensure stability when wind and solar energy levels are low, providing essential backup power to generate electricity," she said.
She noted that Ireland's gas network is one of the safest and most modern in Europe and with the added security of its 14,725km of underground pipeline, it is highly resilient to adverse weather conditions.
"Supply to customers was not impacted at any stage due to these weather events," she added.
