119. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on the progress being made to deliver the State’s energy generation by renewable sources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27315/26]

122. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the percentage of the electricity used in Ireland in 2025 that was generated by renewable sources; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27472/26]

127. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment the percentage of the electricity used in Ireland in 2025 that was generated by onshore wind; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27471/26]

133. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment for an update on Ireland’s progress towards its 2030 renewable energy targets, as outlined in the Climate Action Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27601/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 119, 122, 127 and 133 together.

Under the Climate Action Plan, greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector have reached an all time low, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and fallen by about 44% between 2016 and 2024.

The Programme for Government has reaffirmed Ireland’s targets of 80% of electricity demand to be met by renewables in the near term, with plans to move to net zero by 2050.

Ireland has made substantial progress in the development of renewable electricity capacity in recent years. We currently have over 8 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the network. This is a remarkable achievement as it means we have added approximately 5 GW of new renewable electricity generation capacity in just ten years, including doubling our wind capacity and establishing solar energy as a major pillar of our electricity supply.

Onshore wind is the largest contributor to this with over 5 GW installed, followed by solar PV with over 2.4 GW installed, and hydro, biomass, and other small sources contributing the remainder.

Provisional figures from EirGrid show that nearly 41% of electricity grid demand was met with renewables in 2025. The final figures will be published later in the year by the SEAI.

Solar is now Ireland's third largest source of indigenous electricity generation and Ireland’s fastest growing source of renewable generation. During periods of high solar output our System Operators are reporting significant decreases in grid demand, as solar self-generators producing electricity on-site reduces strain on the grid, which is not captured in the figures published by EirGrid and SEAI.

Onshore wind remains Ireland’s dominant source of renewable energy and is second only to natural gas in terms of overall electricity generation. We are among world leaders for installed onshore wind capacity per capita and get a greater share of our electricity from onshore wind than anyone else in Europe. Figures published by EirGrid show that onshore wind met 33% of our electricity demand in 2025.

The inclusion of Regional Renewable Electricity Capacity Allocations in the Revision of the National Planning Framework is a critical step towards achieving Ireland’s national renewable electricity targets and will support a plan-led approach to the strategic planning of renewable technologies, delivering a fair regional balance and distribution of the associated infrastructure.

Government also remains committed to having 5 GW of offshore wind capacity in development by 2030, with a longer-range target of 20 GW by 2040.

Five projects, with a combined capacity of 3.8 GW, are currently in development off our east coast, while the first South Coast DMAP project, 900 MW, was awarded through an Offshore RESS auction last year.

A second SC-DMAP auction, with a potential capacity of 1.5 GW, is expected to be held in 2027.

Three cross-Government taskforces, the Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce (ARET) for onshore renewables, the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce (OWDT), and the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce continue to develop effective policies designed to deliver an accelerated and increased level of renewable generation capacity and related infrastructure, including strengthening the electricity grid and increasing electricity storage.