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Built 2026-11-05 (5 November 2026)

Ireland vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared

Ireland generated 31.6 TWh of electricity in 2025 and the United Kingdom 294 TWh, according to Ember. Gas was the largest source in both, at 47.4% in Ireland and 31.3% in the United Kingdom. Each kWh generated emitted 271 gCO2/kWh in Ireland and 218 gCO2/kWh in the United Kingdom. These are Ember annual statistics for 2025, compiled from national sources; they are not real time.

Who is bigger and who is cleaner? The United Kingdom is the bigger electricity producer, generating 9.3 times as much as Ireland in 2025 (294 TWh against 31.6 TWh). The United Kingdom has the cleaner electricity by carbon intensity, at 218 gCO2/kWh against 271 gCO2/kWh in Ireland in 2025.

Why this comparison: neighbours by land border or interconnector and a well known regional or sporting rivalry.

Open this comparison in the interactive tool to add more countries or change the metric.

Key Facts

  • Gas supplied 47.4% of Ireland's electricity in 2025, against 31.3% in the United Kingdom.
  • Electricity demand rose 18% in Ireland between 2020 and 2025, while it fell 4% in the United Kingdom.
  • Low carbon sources supplied 47.2% of Ireland's electricity in 2025 and 64.2% of the United Kingdom's.
  • Electricity demand in 2025 was 37.7 TWh in Ireland and 312 TWh in the United Kingdom.

Key Figures, 2025

Ember annual statistics
Measure Ireland United Kingdom
Total generation31.6 TWh294 TWh
Electricity demand37.7 TWh312 TWh
Demand per person6.99 MWh4.62 MWh
Carbon intensity271 gCO2/kWh218 gCO2/kWh
Power sector emissions8.56 MtCO264.0 MtCO2
Low carbon share47.2%64.2%
Largest sourceGas 47.4%Gas 31.3%

Generation Mix, 2025

Share of generation
Source Ireland United Kingdom
Gas 47.4% 31.3%
Wind 37.3% 29.4%
Bioenergy 3.3% 13.9%
Nuclear 0.0% 12.4%
Solar 4.6% 6.6%
Other fossil 2.9% 4.4%
Coal 2.5% 0.1%
Hydro 2.1% 1.8%

Carbon Intensity, 1985 to 2025

Ember annual statistics
Carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025 Carbon intensity of electricity generated in Ireland and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in gCO2/kWh. In 2025 it was 271 gCO2/kWh in Ireland and 218 gCO2/kWh in the United Kingdom. 0 200 400 600 800 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Carbon intensity of electricity generated in Ireland and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in gCO2/kWh. In 2025 it was 271 gCO2/kWh in Ireland and 218 gCO2/kWh in the United Kingdom.
Annual statistics through 2025, gCO2/kWh
Carbon intensity of electricity in Ireland and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025
YearIrelandUnited Kingdom
1985n/a694 gCO2/kWh
1986n/a721 gCO2/kWh
1987n/a737 gCO2/kWh
1988n/a710 gCO2/kWh
1989n/a689 gCO2/kWh
1990696 gCO2/kWh705 gCO2/kWh
1991693 gCO2/kWh700 gCO2/kWh
1992705 gCO2/kWh665 gCO2/kWh
1993693 gCO2/kWh608 gCO2/kWh
1994688 gCO2/kWh589 gCO2/kWh
1995692 gCO2/kWh579 gCO2/kWh
1996676 gCO2/kWh557 gCO2/kWh
1997668 gCO2/kWh512 gCO2/kWh
1998657 gCO2/kWh510 gCO2/kWh
1999640 gCO2/kWh492 gCO2/kWh
2000633 gCO2/kWh522 gCO2/kWh
2001642 gCO2/kWh529 gCO2/kWh
2002616 gCO2/kWh521 gCO2/kWh
2003596 gCO2/kWh537 gCO2/kWh
2004592 gCO2/kWh536 gCO2/kWh
2005593 gCO2/kWh535 gCO2/kWh
2006560 gCO2/kWh559 gCO2/kWh
2007535 gCO2/kWh556 gCO2/kWh
2008517 gCO2/kWh554 gCO2/kWh
2009486 gCO2/kWh505 gCO2/kWh
2010478 gCO2/kWh517 gCO2/kWh
2011456 gCO2/kWh500 gCO2/kWh
2012483 gCO2/kWh537 gCO2/kWh
2013462 gCO2/kWh507 gCO2/kWh
2014446 gCO2/kWh463 gCO2/kWh
2015440 gCO2/kWh398 gCO2/kWh
2016442 gCO2/kWh333 gCO2/kWh
2017404 gCO2/kWh302 gCO2/kWh
2018362 gCO2/kWh286 gCO2/kWh
2019312 gCO2/kWh268 gCO2/kWh
2020291 gCO2/kWh243 gCO2/kWh
2021352 gCO2/kWh267 gCO2/kWh
2022331 gCO2/kWh255 gCO2/kWh
2023282 gCO2/kWh236 gCO2/kWh
2024271 gCO2/kWh216 gCO2/kWh
2025271 gCO2/kWh218 gCO2/kWh

Demand per Person, 1985 to 2025

Ember annual statistics
Electricity demand per person in Ireland and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025 Electricity demand per person in Ireland and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in MWh. In 2025 it was 6.99 MWh in Ireland and 4.62 MWh in the United Kingdom. 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 198519901995200020052010201520202025
Electricity demand per person in Ireland and the United Kingdom each year from 1985 to 2025, in MWh. In 2025 it was 6.99 MWh in Ireland and 4.62 MWh in the United Kingdom.
Annual statistics through 2025, MWh
Electricity demand per person in Ireland and United Kingdom, 1985 to 2025
YearIrelandUnited Kingdom
1985n/an/a
1986n/an/a
1987n/an/a
1988n/an/a
1989n/an/a
1990n/an/a
1991n/an/a
1992n/an/a
1993n/an/a
1994n/an/a
1995n/an/a
1996n/an/a
1997n/an/a
1998n/an/a
1999n/an/a
20006.24 MWh6.63 MWh
20016.30 MWh6.67 MWh
20026.44 MWh6.65 MWh
20036.51 MWh6.69 MWh
20046.58 MWh6.67 MWh
20056.65 MWh6.71 MWh
20066.77 MWh6.63 MWh
20076.76 MWh6.53 MWh
20086.77 MWh6.45 MWh
20096.34 MWh6.07 MWh
20106.28 MWh6.11 MWh
20116.05 MWh5.89 MWh
20125.99 MWh5.87 MWh
20136.02 MWh5.79 MWh
20146.01 MWh5.53 MWh
20156.13 MWh5.51 MWh
20166.23 MWh5.42 MWh
20176.26 MWh5.32 MWh
20186.36 MWh5.29 MWh
20196.39 MWh5.19 MWh
20206.42 MWh4.88 MWh
20216.63 MWh4.92 MWh
20226.66 MWh4.70 MWh
20236.70 MWh4.60 MWh
20246.88 MWh4.59 MWh
20256.99 MWh4.62 MWh

Ireland history · United Kingdom history

Source: Ember (ember-energy.org), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Data as of 2025.

Cite this page
APA 7

World Power Monitor. (2025). Ireland vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared. https://worldpowermonitor.com/compare/ireland-vs-united-kingdom/

Plain text

World Power Monitor. Ireland vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared. Data as of 2025. Data from Ember. https://worldpowermonitor.com/compare/ireland-vs-united-kingdom/

BibTeX 
@misc{wpm_compare_ireland_vs_united_kingdom_2025,
  title = {{Ireland vs United Kingdom: Electricity Compared}},
  author = {{World Power Monitor}},
  year = {2025},
  note = {Data as of 2025. Data from Ember.},
  url = {https://worldpowermonitor.com/compare/ireland-vs-united-kingdom/}
}

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