Natural gas generated over half of Ireland's electricity during May, with wind generation dropping by 38% compared with the previous month.

According to the latest figures from Gas Networks Ireland, gas generation reached 57% last month, a 21% increase from April and a 7.5% increase from the same period last year.

This surge in gas use made up for a sharp decline in wind energy during the calm month of May. Gas has been the primary contributor to Ireland's electricity for seven consecutive months.

Gas power reached a peak generation of almost 90% of the country's electricity during the month and consistently contributed a minimum of 19%, never falling below 37% during the last week of May.

Wind

Wind energy accounted for 23% of Ireland's electricity in May, showing a considerable 38% decline from the previous month and a nearly one-third decrease compared with May 2022.

On Monday, Ireland’s electricity system operator Eirgrid issued an alert due to low wind and solar generation and forced outages at a number of generators, which resulted in a reduced generation capacity to meet demand.

Visit a wind farm

Despite the current low generation, the public is invited to visit local wind farms as part of the 'Get Out in the Wind' campaign. Nearly a dozen wind farms across Cork, Derry, Donegal, Galway, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary and Wicklow are open year-round and offer walking and biking trails for all.

This initiative by Wind Energy Ireland aims to educate visitors about wind farm operations and their contribution to Ireland's annual electricity supply.