Ireland Celebrates Coal-Free Future with Wind Power Triumph

Quick Smiles:

• Ireland has become the 15th European country to eliminate coal from its energy mix.
• The former ESB Moneypoint power station will transition to burning emergency oil reserves.
• Wind energy contributed to 37% of Ireland’s total electricity generation last year.

Ireland is celebrating a monumental achievement as it joins the ranks of European nations that have bid farewell to coal. The recent announcement marks Ireland as the fifteenth country in Europe to eliminate coal from its energy mix, a significant step towards a greener future.

The ESB Moneypoint power station, constructed in the 1980s in response to the oil crisis, stands as the last coal-capable facility in Ireland. Situated in County Clare, this power station will now transition to burning emergency oil reserves.

However, this too is set to end by 2029. Starting this June, Moneypoint will no longer participate in the wholesale electricity market.

Last year, wind energy made a remarkable contribution, generating 11 terawatt-hours of electricity. This accounted for 37% of Ireland’s total energy production, as reported by a renewable energy think tank.

“Ireland has quietly rewritten its energy story, replacing toxic coal with homegrown renewable power,” noted Alexandru Mustață, a campaigner on coal and gas at Europe’s Beyond Fossil Fuels.

“But this isn’t ‘job done’. The government’s priority now must be building a power system for a renewable future; one with the storage, flexibility, and grid infrastructure needed to run fully on clean, domestic renewable electricity,” Mustață warned.

Ireland now stands alongside Belgium, Sweden, Austria, Portugal, and the UK, all of which have ceased coal usage. Spain and Slovakia are also completing their coal phase-outs this year.

Countries like Cyprus, Lithuania, Latvia, Switzerland, Estonia, Norway, Malta, Albania, and Luxembourg have never burned coal at the grid level. Meanwhile, nations such as Germany and Romania have pledged to abandon coal, while others like Poland and Serbia have not yet committed.

Italy, France, Greece, Finland, Denmark, Hungary, and the Netherlands are set to fulfill their commitments within the next five years.

This remarkable progress in Ireland is a testament to the power of renewable energy and a promising glimpse into a cleaner, more sustainable future for Europe.

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