Wind energy provided 35% of Ireland’s electricity last month, figures show

Ireland’s wind farms provided 35 per cent of the country’s electricity last month, according to Wind Energy Ireland.

The amount of electricity produced by wind energy last month was up 8 per cent against April 2022 while the share of demand met rose from 32 per cent to 35 per cent as demand for power continued to rise.

There was some good news for consumers as wholesale electricity prices fell for the fourth consecutive month.

The average wholesale price of electricity dropped to €125.57 in April. This is the lowest the average monthly price has been since June 2021 but still significantly above average prices before the energy crisis began.

Prices fell even further last month on days with the most wind power when the average cost of a megawatt-hour of electricity was €108.01.

The figures are based on EirGrid’s SCADA data compiled by MullanGrid and on market data provided by ElectroRoute.

Noel Cunniffe, chief executive of Wind Energy Ireland, said: "Ireland’s wind farms are reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, supporting Irish jobs and helping to push down wholesale electricity prices while cutting the carbon emissions which are fuelling the climate emergency."

He added: "The continued fall in wholesale electricity prices is welcome news and we hope that consumers will soon see the benefit."