IRELAND IS STILL “heavily dependent” on imported fossil fuels despite growth in renewable energy, according to new data from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

The State’s sustainable energy body said the reliance on imported fossil fuels leaves Ireland exposed to international energy price volatility.

Imported fuels still dominate Ireland’s energy system with almost four-fifths (78.2%) of Ireland’s energy requirement imported last year, substantially higher than the EU average of 57.3%.

Almost 93% of those imports were fossil fuels, with Ireland importing all of its oil and coal requirements and more than 82% of its natural gas. The UK remained Ireland’s largest supplier, accounting for more than half of all energy imports in 2025, followed by the US and EU countries.

There has been an uptick in the use of renewable energy. It accounted for a record 15.9% of Ireland’s total energy requirement last year, but fossil fuels still accounted for over 79%.

Fossil fuel use declined by 4.7%, with coal use falling sharply by almost 45%. Ireland’s overall energy requirement also reduced by 2.2% compared with 2024, and energy-related emissions fell by 3.7%.

Wind was the largest renewable energy source in 2025, making up almost half of all renewable energy supplied. Meanwhile, the use of solar increased by 50% since 2024 and accounted for over 6% of Ireland’s renewable energy supply last year.

Heat pumps, biomass and biofuels also contributed to growth in renewable energy supply, meaning that almost two-thirds (64.9%) of all energy produced within Ireland now comes from renewable sources.

Chief executive of SEAI William Walsh said: “While we are making some progress on renewables – with solar in particular continuing its remarkable growth, Ireland is still too reliant on imported fossil fuels, leaving our economy vulnerable to events outside of our control.”

“We’ve seen in recent months how quickly sharp increases in global oil and gas prices can feed into our home heating bills, transport costs and overheads for business,” he added.

“By continuing to invest in our country’s huge potential for wind and solar, we can give homes and businesses better security and certainty over the cost of the energy they use, as well as improving health and comfort levels.”

He said a “lot more” needs to be done to reduce Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels, including continuing to grow wind and solar capacity, improving energy efficiency and reducing overall energy demand.