Sluggish Ireland can 'just about' make 2030 emissions targets

Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Hitting our 2030 targets, cutting our carbon emissions by 51%, is still just about possible but we are not moving fast enough."

Ireland is “not moving fast enough” to hit its 2030 carbon emissions target, but it’s “still just about possible”, according to the country’s largest renewable energy organisation.

A new report published by Wind Energy Ireland says that the Irish electricity sector can only meet the Government’s carbon emissions target of a 51% cut by the end of the decade if there is a complete transformation of its planning system and grid policies.

The report, 'Bridging the Gap: Towards a zero-carbon power grid,' was produced jointly by specialist energy consultants Baringa and TNEI. It gives an overview of the electricity system’s potential carbon budget. 

It aims to show that the power sector emissions could be kept to 66 million tonnes between 2021 and 2030, but only if existing plans for Ireland’s energy system are improved and accelerated.

According to the analysis, this is the best the power sector can deliver unless extensive new grid infrastructure is completed by 2030, coal and peat electricity production ceases, or large volumes of offshore wind are connected before 2028, which experts say is now the earliest date for delivery.

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Noel Cunniffe, CEO of Wind Energy Ireland, said: “Hitting our 2030 targets, cutting our carbon emissions by 51%, is still just about possible but we are not moving fast enough. "

Mr Cunniffe called on the full resources of the State to be utilised if the electricity sector is to deliver these savings. 

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“It has never been more urgent to act. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine means spiralling gas and electricity prices across the continent. Ireland can play a critical role in defending Europe. Not with guns or tanks, but with wind turbines, solar panels and battery storage,” he added.

The report highlights a number of areas which they say the Government should prioritise. 

This includes the acceleration of the delivery of onshore wind and solar infrastructure, several additional existing power lines and the deployment of smart grid technologies, and the replacement of the fossil-fuel-based backup system with zero-carbon technologies.

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