Electricity Grid Review 2025: Ireland
January 1 - December 31, 2024 vs 2025
Data coverage: 366 days (2024), 365 days (2025)
1. Electricity Price (Day-Ahead, EUR/MWh)
Correlation coefficient: -0.65 (2024), -0.57 (2025). Strong negative correlation - higher renewable generation = lower prices, reflecting the merit order effect.
1.1 Daily Price Extremes
Based on daily average prices
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Daily Avg | €290.8 (Dec 13, 2024) | €287.5 (Nov 25, 2025) |
| Lowest Daily Avg | €2.4 (Feb 27, 2024) | €-6.0 (Oct 04, 2025) |
| Negative Price Days | 0 | 1 |
| Negative Price Hours | 39 | 58 |
1.2 Hourly Price Extremes
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Price | €500.0 (Dec 12, 2024 16:00) | €494.1 (Jan 20, 2025 17:00) |
| Lowest Price | €-5.0 (Apr 13, 2024 14:00) | €-23.5 (May 25, 2025 10:00) |
1.3 Days by Price Range
Based on daily average prices
| Range (€/MWh) | 2024 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| €0-50 | 14 | 12 | -2 |
| €51-100 | 123 | 104 | -19 |
| €101-150 | 191 | 191 | 0 |
| €151-200 | 29 | 43 | +14 |
| €201+ | 9 | 15 | +6 |
1.4 Hours by Price Range
Based on hourly prices
| Range (€/MWh) | 2024 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative | 39 | 58 | +19 |
| €0-50 | 466 | 527 | +61 |
| €51-100 | 3,643 | 3,149 | -494 |
| €101-150 | 3,403 | 3,468 | +65 |
| €151-200 | 718 | 940 | +222 |
| €201+ | 381 | 535 | +154 |
1.5 Average Price by Hour of Day
1.6 Price Distribution (Hourly)
58 hours with negative prices across 9 days. Most negative: €-23.5/MWh.
Average daily price swing: €111/MWh. Maximum single-day swing was €372/MWh on 2025-11-25 (low: €93, high: €465).
Notable monthly evolutions
Change: +73% vs 2024
1.7 Multi-Level Price Heatmap
Price Heatmap
€/MWh
hourly range: -24-494
Yearly
Monthly
Daily
Hourly
2. Load
2.1 Monthly Load
2.2 Average Load by Hour of Day
Peak demand at 17:00 (4.4 GW). Minimum at 04:00 (3.1 GW).
2.3 Weekday vs Weekend
2.4 Net Load Pattern (Duck Curve)
Evening ramp of 1.0 GW from belly (03:00) to evening peak (18:00). This requires flexible dispatchable generation or storage to meet rapidly increasing demand as solar output decreases.
2.5 Seasonal Net Load Patterns
The duck curve shape varies significantly by season due to changes in solar intensity and heating/cooling demand patterns.
Winter (Dec-Feb)
Belly: 1.6 GW @ 04:00 | Peak: 3.1 GW @ 17:00 | Ramp: 1.5 GW
Spring (Mar-May)
Belly: 1.9 GW @ 03:00 | Peak: 2.8 GW @ 19:00 | Ramp: 0.9 GW
Summer (Jun-Aug)
Belly: 1.8 GW @ 13:00 | Peak: 2.6 GW @ 19:00 | Ramp: 0.8 GW
Fall (Sep-Nov)
Belly: 1.7 GW @ 03:00 | Peak: 2.8 GW @ 17:00 | Ramp: 1.1 GW
Evening ramps are similar across seasons: winter 1.5 GW, summer 0.8 GW. The grid faces consistent ramping challenges year-round.
2.6 Peak & Minimum Demand Records (2025)
| Rank | Highest Load | Date | Lowest Load | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6.1 GW | 2025-01-08 17:00 | 2.5 GW | 2025-05-11 04:00 |
| 2 | 6.0 GW | 2025-01-08 18:00 | 2.5 GW | 2025-05-11 03:00 |
| 3 | 6.0 GW | 2025-01-08 19:00 | 2.5 GW | 2025-06-02 04:00 |
3. Production-Based vs Flow-Traced Carbon Intensity (gCO₂eq/kWh)
Production-based carbon intensity is 12.5g higher than flow-traced carbon intensity in 2024 (19.9g in 2025). This means Ireland's imports are cleaner than domestic production, lowering the carbon footprint of consumed electricity.
3.1 Monthly Production Mix
3.2 Production Mix (Domestic Generation)
3.3 Flow-Traced Power Mix
3.4 Import/Export Impact on Mix
Ireland produces no nuclear power locally, but ~3% of consumed electricity comes from nuclear imports.
3.5 Power Mix Comparison
Production vs Flow-Traced consumption by source
| Source | Prod 2024 | Flow-traced 2024 | Prod 2025 | Flow-traced 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas | 45.5% | 44.1% | 48.1% (+2.6pp) | 45.4% (+1.3pp) |
| Wind | 38.6% | 38.8% | 39.4% (+0.8pp) | 38.0% (-0.8pp) |
| Coal | 8.9% | 8.4% | 4.1% (-4.8pp) | 3.6% (-4.8pp) |
| Biomass | 2.3% | 2.5% | 2.5% (+0.2pp) | 3.3% (+0.8pp) |
| Hydro | 2.5% | 2.7% | 2.6% (+0.1pp) | 3.0% (+0.3pp) |
| Solar | 0.0% | 0.3% | 1.9% (+1.9pp) | 2.9% (+2.6pp) |
| Nuclear | 0.0% | 1.0% | 0.0% (+0.0pp) | 2.7% (+1.7pp) |
| Oil | 2.2% | 2.1% | 1.3% (-0.9pp) | 1.1% (-1.0pp) |
3.6 Key Trend
Ireland's electricity consumption is dominated by ~45.4% gas. Solar saw the biggest growth from 0.3% to 2.9%.
4. Cross-Border Electricity Flows
Ireland imported a net 4.50 TWh in 2025.
4.1 2025 Gross Exports (Ireland → Neighbor)
Total electricity exported to each country — with average carbon intensity
4.2 2025 Gross Imports (Neighbor → Ireland)
Total electricity imported from each country — with average carbon intensity
4.3 Net Position by Neighbor (2025)
| Neighbor | Net (TWh) | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| GB | -9.02 | Net Importer |
Positive = Ireland is net exporter to that neighbor. Negative = Ireland is net importer from that neighbor.
4.4 Flow Pattern by Hour of Day
Peak imports at 09:00 (0.6 GW avg).
5. Carbon Intensity (gCO₂eq/kWh)
5.1 Daily Records
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest Carbon Intensity | 126.3 g (Dec 21, 2024) | 122.5 g (Feb 23, 2025) |
| Lowest Fossil % | 17.7% (Dec 21, 2024) | 17.7% (Feb 23, 2025) |
| Highest Carbon Intensity | 568.6 g (Jan 12, 2024) | 547.1 g (Jan 20, 2025) |
| Highest Fossil % | 92.3% (Jul 14, 2024) | 84.9% (Jan 20, 2025) |
5.2 Hourly Records
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest Carbon Intensity | 113.4 g (Dec 21, 2024 03:00) | 104.5 g (Feb 23, 2025 03:00) |
| Highest Carbon Intensity | 592.0 g (Jun 12, 2024 07:00) | 574.0 g (Jan 20, 2025 07:00) |
5.3 Days Below Thresholds
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 100 gCO₂eq/kWh | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| < 200 gCO₂eq/kWh | 37 | 75 | +38 |
| < 300 gCO₂eq/kWh | 114 | 174 | +60 |
5.4 Hours Below Thresholds
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 100 gCO₂eq/kWh | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| < 200 gCO₂eq/kWh | 1,318 | 2,244 | +926 |
| < 300 gCO₂eq/kWh | 3,051 | 4,301 | +1250 |
5.5 Average Carbon Intensity by Hour of Day
5.6 Seasonal Carbon Intensity Patterns
Carbon intensity daily patterns shift with seasonal changes in renewable generation and electricity demand.
Winter (Dec-Feb)
Peak: 323 g @ 17:00 | Trough: 248 g @ 02:00 | Spread: 75 g
Spring (Mar-May)
Peak: 381 g @ 18:00 | Trough: 333 g @ 02:00 | Spread: 48 g
Summer (Jun-Aug)
Peak: 334 g @ 20:00 | Trough: 243 g @ 13:00 | Spread: 91 g
Fall (Sep-Nov)
Peak: 295 g @ 17:00 | Trough: 242 g @ 13:00 | Spread: 53 g
Carbon intensity patterns are relatively consistent across seasons, with similar peak and trough values. Scheduling flexible loads during seasonal low-carbon windows maximizes emission reductions.
5.7 Carbon Intensity Distribution (Hourly)
Notable monthly evolutions
Change: -25% vs Jun 2024
Change: -26% vs Jul 2024
Change: -32% vs Sep 2024
Change: -24% vs Oct 2024
Change: -30% vs Nov 2024
1,376 hours with both low price (<€88/MWh) and low carbon intensity (<197 gCO₂eq/kWh).
5.8 Multi-Level Carbon Intensity Heatmap
Carbon Intensity Heatmap
gCO₂eq/kWh
hourly range: 105-574
Yearly
Monthly
Daily
Hourly
6. Renewable & Carbon-Free Energy (Flow-Traced)
Includes electricity exchanged with neighboring grids
6.1 Days Above Thresholds
Days with carbon-free share above threshold
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≥50% carbon-free | 136 | 157 | +21 |
| ≥60% carbon-free | 79 | 106 | +27 |
| ≥70% carbon-free | 37 | 39 | +2 |
6.2 Hours Above Thresholds
Hours with carbon-free share above threshold
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≥50% carbon-free | 3,320 | 3,887 | +567 |
| ≥60% carbon-free | 2,247 | 2,791 | +544 |
| ≥70% carbon-free | 1,294 | 1,546 | +252 |
6.3 Multi-Level Renewable % Heatmap
Renewable % Heatmap
%
hourly range: 9-85
Yearly
Monthly
Daily
Hourly
