This publication is categorised as a CSO Frontier Series Output. Particular care must be taken when interpreting the statistics in this release as it may use new methods which are under development and/or data sources which may be incomplete, for example, new administrative data sources.
The majority (over 90%) of the €16.9bn worth of energy products supplied were made up of oil, gas and electricity products.
Businesses used €9.6bn (57%) worth of energy products, while households consumed close to €6.2bn (37%).
Fossil Fuels was the largest source for the output of electricity at (60%), closely followed by Renewables at (40%).
Solar panel imports amounted to €12.6m in 2020.
Government taxes on energy products yielded €3.6bn.
Workers in the Energy Value Chain earned €1.5bn.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (02 November 2023) released Energy:A Value Chain Analysis for 2020.
Commenting on the release, Yvonne Hayden, Statistician in the National Accounts Analysis and Globalisation division, said
“Ireland used €16.9bn worth of energy products in 2020, with over 90% made up of oil, gas and electricity products. Domestic production accounted for €7.2bn of which €5.7bn was from electricity generation. Oil dominated the €4.3bn of energy product imports. Close to €1.9bn of trade margins were earned and €3.6bn worth of energy taxes were collected, both almost entirely explained by oil.
A large portion of this €5.7bn of electricity produced domestically can also be explained by renewables (€2bn). The greater importance of renewables in recent years reflects the transition away from fossil fuels.
Looking at the consumption side, businesses used €9.6bn worth of energy products, while households consumed close to €6.2bn. Households spent €3.1bn (50%) on oil, €2.3bn (37%) on electricity, €0.7bn on gas (11%), while the remainder was spent on other fuels. Import figures show we imported €12.6m worth of solar panels in 2020, many of which were installed on houses.
There were 35,000 people employed in the Energy Value Chain in 2020. The most common occupations were Sales Assistants & Retail Cashiers, Engineering Professionals, and Electrical & Electronic Trades. Together, these employees earned €1.5bn in 2020. Electricity, Gas & Steam employees (€76,763) had by far the highest earnings per employee of the sectors, almost twice as high as Mining & Quarrying employees (€41,736) and almost five times higher than Coke & Refined Petroleum Products employees (€16,462).
This cross-cutting analysis of the Energy Value Chain in Ireland by the CSO presents a comprehensive picture of the consumers, suppliers, workers, value added, and output generated in the sector. A detailed breakdown of the energy products of oil, gas, peat, coal, firewood, and electricity is provided throughout the publication as well as a focus on the wholesale and distribution aspect. A split of inputs between renewables and fossil fuels for electricity generation is also shown in the release.”