About this report:
This publication presents information on renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland in the context of all electricity generation, distribution and use. With a particular focus on renewable electricity generation, this publication aids reporting on performance against the commitments in the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy - Path to Net Zero Energy and the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 target which is to “ensure that at least 80% of electricity consumption is from renewable sources by 2030.”

This report format follows a period of data development and improvement including a user engagement exercise and should be considered Statistics in Development. The main changes to previous publications up to December 2025 include, a move to calculating and reporting the headline Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation in terms of renewable electricity generation as a proportion of Gross Final Electricity Consumption, in addition to the reporting of a broader suite of data to provide further context and evidence.

Renewable generation includes all metered and own use (unmetered) renewable generation. Gross Final Electricity Consumption includes all metered and own use renewable and non-renewable generation plus imports of electricity minus exports of electricity.

Further details can be found in the technical and background notes section.

Key points:
For the 12-month period January 2025 to December 2025:

• The volume of renewable electricity generated (4,073 GWh) was equivalent to 47% of Gross Final Electricity Consumption (8,755 GWh). In the previous 12-month period (January 2024 to December 2024) renewable electricity generated was equivalent to 44% of Gross Final Electricity Consumption.

• Gross Final Electricity Consumption, which comprises generation plus imports minus exports, and is equivalent to total electricity demand, has fallen slowly but steadily over the period from 9,569 GWh at the year to December 2018 to 8,755 GWh in the year to December 2025.

• Focusing specifically on generation, 8,178 GWh of total electricity was generated of which 4,073 GWh was renewable (50%) and 4,105 GWh (50%) was non-renewable.

• Of the 4,073 GWh of renewable generation, the majority (72%) was from wind in addition to bioenergy (biomass and biogas 20%), solar (6%), landfill gas (1%) and hydro/tidal generation (1%).

• The balance between electricity imports and exports can vary over time and the difference between them can be positive (more imports than exports) or negative (more exports than imports). In the year to December 2025, Northern Ireland imported more than it exported with net imports of 578 GWh. This can be compared to the year to December 2024 when Northern Ireland imported more than it exported with net imports of 92 GWh.


1. Gross Final Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation - Rolling 12-month average

For the 12-month period January 2025 to December 2025, the volume of renewable electricity generated (4,073 GWh) was equivalent to 47% of Gross Final Electricity Consumption (8,755 GWh). In the previous 12-month period (January 2024 to December 2024) renewable electricity generated was equivalent to 44% of Gross Final Electricity Consumption.

The latest comparable EU 27 Member State average figure for renewable electricity share of gross final electricity consumption in 2024 was 48%.

Figure 1: Monthly renewable generation as a proportion of Gross Final Electricity Consumption is more volatile compared to the rolling 12-month average which smooths out this volatility and better reflects the underlying trend over time.

Rolling 12-month and monthly renewable electricity calculated as a proportion of Gross Final Electricity Consumption from December 2018 to December 2025


2. Electricity Generation from Renewable and Non-renewable Sources - 12-month rolling shares

Focusing specifically on generation connected directly to the Northern Ireland grid and own use generation, Figure 2 shows the shares of renewable and non-renewable electricity generation of the total electricity generated. Between January 2025 and December 2025, 8,178 GWh of total electricity was generated, of which 4,073 GWh (50%) was from renewable sources and 4,105 GWh (50%) from non-renewable sources.


Figure 2: Renewable and fossil fuel electricity generation as shares of total generation varies over time

Rolling 12-month renewable and non-renewable generation as a share of total generation in Northern Ireland from December 2018 to December 2025


3. Composition of Gross Final Electricity Consumption - Rolling 12-month Volumes

Gross Final Electricity Consumption comprises the amount generated and the contribution of net imports and is therefore equivalent to total electricity demand. At any point in time, net imports can be positive (more electricity imported than exported) or negative (more electricity exported than imported). Between January 2025 and December 2025, Gross Final Electricity Consumption was 8,755 GWh comprised of 4,105 GWh from non-renewable sources, 4,073 GWh from renewable sources and 578 GWh of net imports.

Between December 2018 and December 2025, the rolling 12-month volume of Gross Final Electricity Consumption has fallen from 9,569 GWh to 8,755 GWh, a 9% change.


Figure 3: Composition of Gross Final Electricity Consumption - rolling 12-month volumes (GWh)

Rolling 12-month volumes from December 2018 to December 2025 of Gross Final Electricity Consumption, renewable and non-renewable electricity generation, and net imports


4. Contribution of Each Technology Type to Total Renewable Generation

Renewable generation can comprise a diverse mix of technology types including wind, solar, bioenergy (biogas and biomass), landfill gas, hydro and tidal generation. These technologies vary in terms of the amount of generation they produce which is put to the electricity grid for public consumption and the generation produced for the generators’ own use. For example, most (around 95%) of wind generation is put to the electricity grid for public consumption whilst around half of bioenergy generation is for the generators’ own use.


Figure 4: The majority of renewable electricity generated within Northern Ireland comes from wind sources

Percentage contribution by generation type to total renewable electricity generation for the period January 2025 to December 2025


Between January 2025 and December 2025, 72% of renewable electricity generation came from wind sources, with bioenergy (biogas and biomass) producing 20%, solar 6%, hydro/tidal 1% and landfill gas 1%.

5. Rolling 12-month Renewable Generation Technology Volumes

Figure 5 shows the rolling 12-month renewable generation volumes by technology between December 2018 and December 2025.


Figure 5: Renewable generation technology volumes (GWh)

Rolling 12-month volumes of renewable technology generation between December 2018 and December 2025.


Since December 2018, wind has generated more than all other renewable technologies combined. Over the period, wind generation has shown a greater level of variability in generation compared to the more stable levels of generation provided by bioenergy, solar, landfill gas and hydro/tidal.


6. Monthly Renewable Generation Technology Volumes

Figure 6: Monthly renewable generation volumes (GWh) by technology

Monthly volumes of renewable technology generation between January 2018 and December 2025 (GWh)


Figure 6 shows the monthly variability which underlies the smoothed annual generation volumes shown in Figure 5. Renewable generation which is influenced by seasonality effects such as wind and solar generation will demonstrate greater monthly variability compared to other technologies such as biogas and biomass which are less impacted by seasonality. Solar generation tends to be lower in the winter months and higher in spring and summer and wind generation lower in the summer months and higher in autumn and winter. The summer of 2021 (June to August) was a particularly poor period for wind generation which reflected a somewhat atypical weather pattern of stable and repeated periods of high pressure in that year.


7. Monthly Renewable and Non-renewable Generation Volumes

Figure 7 shows the monthly volumes for renewable and fossil fuel generation.

Electricity demand is mostly met through generation although importation of electricity can also be an additional source. Electricity demand is not constant over the year and reflects seasonal impacts with higher demand in the colder and darker months of autumn and winter and lower demand in spring and summer. That seasonality of electricity demand is reflected by generation volumes of both renewable and non-renewable although levels of imports and exports can be reflected as well.


Figure 7: Monthly renewable and non-renewable generation volumes

Data spanning January 2018 to December 2025 showing the monthly volumes of renewable and non-renewable generation.


8. Monthly Non-renewable Generation Volumes by Type

For the 12-month period ending December 2025, 4,105 GWh of electricity was generated from non-renewable sources.

The main non-renewable generation technologies utilise gas, coal, with a small amount generated via distillate (oil) and other non-renewables. Coal generation at the Kilroot power station ended in September 2023 leaving gas generation as the main source of non-renewable generation.


Figure 8: Monthly non-renewable generation volumes by type (GWh)

Data spanning January 2018 to December 2025 showing the monthly volumes of renewable generation by type.



9. Monthly Import and Export Volume

The Northern Ireland grid is connected to both the Great Britain and Ireland grids. Interconnection with both grids helps to provide grid stability on the all-island network. Figure 9 shows the monthly import (light blue) and export (dark blue) of electricity to and from Northern Ireland through this interconnection. The resulting ‘net import’ of electricity is shown by the black line. A positive net import value for a given month means that Northern Ireland imported more electricity than it exported that month, with a negative net import value meaning that it exported more electricity than it imported.


Figure 9: Monthly import and export volumes (GWh)

Data spanning January 2018 to December 2025 showing the volumes of imports and exports


10. Electricity Generation, Distribution and Use

The electricity system can be depicted as a system comprised of inputs and outputs. Importantly, that system must balance and the value of all the inputs equal the value of all the outputs. That system can be represented by a Sankey diagram which balances the various inputs with the outputs.


Figure 10: Electricity generation, distribution and use: Sankey diagram (GWh)

Sankey diagram depicting generation, distribution and use of electricity between January 2025 and December 2025.


11. Further Information

Latest comparable EU and Member State data for renewable electricity share of gross final consumption of electricity see:
nrg_ind_ren Share of energy from renewable sources

Legacy Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation reporting prior to current format see:
Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation in Northern Ireland

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: For further information on Northern Ireland Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the contribution from electricity supply see:
Northern Ireland greenhouse gas inventory | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Dispatch Down: For further information relating to Dispatch Down including levels and causes see:
System and Renewable Data Reports | Grid Information | EirGrid
Draft Dispatch Down Action Plan - System Operator for Northern Ireland - December 2024

Weather: For further information see:
The Met Office climate data portal
Copernicus


12. Technical and background notes

Electricity generation and distribution in Northern Ireland

The electricity system consists of the following distinct businesses: generation, transmission, distribution and supply. Generation is provided by private sector companies who own the major power stations and by other generators, such as wind farms. Northern Ireland also has interconnectors between the Scottish and Republic of Ireland grids through which electricity can be imported and exported. Northern Ireland Networks Ltd (NIE Networks, part of the ESB Group) owns the transmission and distribution network and operates the distribution network, which transports electricity to over 929,000 customer connections. The System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) operates the transmission network. Electricity suppliers buy electricity and sell it to customers. Business and domestic consumers in Northern Ireland can choose from a number of private sector electricity suppliers to meet their individual electricity requirements.

Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation

Consistent with both the European Union Renewable Energy Share of Electricity (RES-E) measure as detailed in the EU Renewable Energy Directives and with the renewable energy metric under the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the definition used here to produce the headline Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation measure is: Renewable generation as a proportion of Gross Final Electricity Consumption. Here, renewable generation includes all metered and own use renewable generation as the numerator. Gross Final Electricity Consumption includes all metered and own use renewable and non-renewable generation plus imports minus exports as the denominator. By definition, Gross Final Electricity Consumption could be viewed also as total electricity consumption or total electricity demand and is gross of system losses.

Data Sources and Data Quality

Calculation of the renewable generation as a proportion of Gross Final Electricity Consumption is underpinned by a range of data sourced from a number of providers including the System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI), NIE Networks, and statistics published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Electricity generation includes all generators directly connected to the Northern Ireland grid, along with their own use generation. It also incorporates estimates for smaller scale generation, microgeneration, and their associated own use generation. Developments here have been underpinned by statistical user engagement and further detail on this can be found in the user engagement paper and user engagement report.

Non-renewable Metered Generation

The coal, gas, distillate (oil) and a small amount of other non-renewable generation data sourced from SONI comprises metered generation which is ‘sent’ to the grid and includes an amount of generation to cover losses prior to use by the consumer. The small amount of generation via distillate (oil) relates mainly to supplementary metered generation for the large gas fuelled generators. The small amount of ‘other’ non-renewable generation relates in the main to a small number of sites which may use coal, oil or gas largely for own use but some of which may also be sent out to the grid network and metered. To the SONI figures for ‘other non-renewable’, 50% of Energy From Waste (EFW) generation is added based on analysis of DESNZ data. Based on research work published by DAERA in 2018, Northern Ireland household residual waste destined for landfill is composed of approximately 50% biodegradable and 50% non-biodegradable waste. As is the practice elsewhere, EFW generation can then be apportioned as renewable and non-renewable on the composition of the household residual waste with 50% of EFW generation in Northern Ireland added to renewable generation and 50% to non-renewable generation. The volume of electricity generation associated with EFW generation in Northern Ireland is relatively small.

Non-renewable Fuel Own Use

Power producers may consume some of their generation for their own use and this generation is not sent to the grid and is not a component part of the fossil fuel metered generation reported by SONI. Estimates for fossil fuel own use by technology is calculated based on data produced annually by DESNZ in their regional electricity generation and supply publication. Given that the DESNZ data is lagged in publication by one year, and to support quarterly publication, year-ahead estimates are calculated for non-renewable own use by technology based on 3-year averages.

Renewable Metered Generation

NIE Networks provide monthly figures for metered renewable generation which incorporates additional data reported by SONI for sites connected to the transmission system. Together that data includes generation by onshore wind, hydro, tidal (when installed), biomass, biogas, landfill gas, solar pv and an amount of electricity generation related to renewable Combined Heat and Power stations with sent out metered generation to the grid.

Renewable Generation Own Use

As with fossil fuel generation of electricity, renewable generators use some (even most) of their generation for their own use and this generation is not sent to the grid and is not a component part of the renewable metered generation provided by NIE Networks. Estimates for renewable own use by technology are calculated based on data produced annually by DESNZ in their regional electricity generation and supply publication. Year-ahead estimates are calculated for renewable generation own use by technology based on 3-year averages to facilitate quarterly publication using the same procedure as outlined above for non-renewable own use.

Import and Export of Electricity

The Northern Ireland grid is connected to both the GB and Ireland grids. Interconnection with both GB and Ireland grids help to provide grid stability on the all-island network. SONI provide monthly data on transfers to (exports) and from (imports) the GB and Ireland grids. At any point in time, Northern Ireland can import more than it exports or export more than it imports depending on the prevailing circumstances.

Battery Charging and Discharging

Battery storage charging and discharging is a relatively new feature of the electricity system. Figures for battery charging and discharging have been reported by SONI from 2022 onwards. Battery charging/discharging relates to metered input (charging) to battery storage facilities and metered output (discharging) to the grid. On the understanding that, at present, the associated generation to charge batteries is from the grid, that generation to charge is already captured and the discharge here is not additive to that generation. Rather, the difference between the charging and discharging of battery storage facilities due for example to natural battery depletion, would be a contributory element to whole system loss and enable the calculation of the contribution of battery storage loss towards whole system losses.

Data Quality

In relation to the data detailed above and, given the provenance of this data, and that they represent the sole sources, it would be viewed as of good quality, timely, and with providing high confidence. Data provided by both SONI and NIE Networks are system-based data which are also used by those organisations for their own reporting and business operational purposes. The statistical data published by DESNZ and used here are sourced ultimately from the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) and are Accredited Official Statistics. Following receipt of data, DfE perform checks to verify that information is consistent both within and across returns. Trend analyses are used to monitor annual variations and emerging trends. Any queries arising from these checks are presented to the provider for clarification and if required, returns may be amended and/or re-submitted.

Revisions

Data from SONI and NIE Networks may be subject to revision with any revisions incorporated into future publications. Periodic revision of DESNZ statistics can also occur and, similarly, will be incorporated into subsequent publications. Revisions may occur when: (a) revised or validated data is subsequently received from a data supplier (b) a figure was incorrect due to a typographical or similar error, or (c) there are methodological improvements. Data revisions tend to be minor with minimal impact. These will be updated when identified and reflected in the next statistical release. If the revision is considered to be major and has a material impact, then an unscheduled correction will be made as soon as possible, along with an explanation of the revision and any impact.

Status

This publication is designated as ‘Statistics in Development’. It is intended to seek accreditation of these statistics as soon as is practicable.

Publication format

To enhance users’ experience and improve accessibility this report has been produced in HTML format, using Reproducible Analytical Pipeline (RAP) guidelines. The content and charts presented in the report aim to improve usability and provide greater interaction with the data. We would be grateful if you could provide any feedback you may have on the publication using the contact details at the bottom of this page.


Contact Details and Further Information


The next update to this report will be issued in June 2026

For further details on any of these statistics, or to provide feedback, contact:
Matthew Hanna (Tel: 028 90 529339)

All media enquiries should be made to the Department’s Press Office:
(Tel: 028 9052 9604)

The Energy in Northern Ireland report provides a broad overview of statistics and information relating to energy in Northern Ireland

This publication is produced by Statistics Information, Analysis & Research Branch, Analytical Services Division, Department for the Economy

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.