Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation in Northern Ireland: Year Ending December 2022

A report detailing the percentage of electricity consumption in Northern Ireland generated from renewable sources was published today.

The ‘Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation in Northern Ireland: Year ending December 2022’ report details the percentage of electricity consumption in Northern Ireland generated from renewable sources and includes information on the type of renewable generation used. The report aids reporting on performance against the commitments in the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy ‘Path to Net Zero Energy’ and the Climate Change Act target which is to “ensure that at least 80% of electricity consumption is from renewable sources by 2030.”

Main results:

• For the 12 month period January 2022 to December 2022, 51.0% of total electricity consumption in Northern Ireland was generated from renewable sources located in Northern Ireland. This represents an increase of 9.7 percentage points on the previous 12 month period (January 2021 to December 2021) and is the second highest rolling 12 month proportion on record with 51.6% achieved in the 12 month period December 2021 to November 2022.
• In terms of the volume of electricity consumption between January 2022 and December 2022, some 7,494 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of total electricity was consumed in Northern Ireland. Over the same period, some 3,825 GWh was generated from renewable sources located in Northern Ireland. This is the second highest rolling 12 month renewable generation volume on record with 3,868 GWh renewably generated between December 2021 and November 2022.
• Of all renewable electricity generated within Northern Ireland over the 12 month period January 2022 to December 2022, 85.3% was generated from wind. This compares to 82.1% for the previous 12 month period (January 2021 to December 2021).
• For the 12 month period ending December 2022, non-wind renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland was 560 GWh with 3,264 GWh from wind renewable generation.
• In February 2022, 76.5% of electricity consumption was generated from renewable sources. This is the highest individual monthly proportion on record.

The full report is available at: Electricity consumption and renewable generation statistics

Notes to editors: 

1. Some forms of renewable generation are not covered by the data contained in the report. Due to their particular circumstances, neither NIE Networks nor SONI have information on the electricity generated by some renewable generators. These include microgenerators and a small number of generating stations that are unable to export electricity to the grid (non-export stations).
2. Electricity consumption refers to the total amount of electricity consumption in Northern Ireland as recorded via metered data by NIE Networks. Transmission and distribution losses are not included in consumption calculations.
3. Electricity generated from renewable sources refers to renewable generators physically located within Northern Ireland and recorded by NIE Networks and SONI. It excludes microgeneration, non-export generating stations and any imported electricity derived from known or unknown renewable sources.
4. General information on the Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation for Northern Ireland report can be obtained from Siobhán Porter, DfE Analytical Services by email at Siobhan.Porter@economy-ni.gov.uk or by telephone on 028 9052 9339.
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