Wind farms produce one third of Ireland's energy in first half of the year

Wholesale electricity prices were 35 per cent lower in June compared to the same month of 2022.

Wind Energy Ireland's monthly report states wholesale prices per megawatt-hour fell from €181.84 in June 2022 to €117.11 last month.

The data also found Irish wind farms produced one third of the island's electricity over the first six months of the year, but accounted for just 20 per cent in June due to the spell of good weather.

On June 24th, wind farms provided over half of Ireland's energy demand for the day.

On days with the most wind power wholesale prices fell even further to €106.98, but rose to €134.97 on days when predominately fossil-fuel sources were required.

The considerable drop in wholesale prices of late has been seen across the energy sector, however, these reductions have not yet been passed on to consumers in their bills.

Speaking last month, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said the price decreases are taking too long to be reflected in the bills of Irish customers, despite acknowledging the complexities of pricing in the energy sector.

Wind Energy Ireland chief executive Noel Cunniffe said 2023 has been a strong year so far for Irish wind farms, protecting Irish energy customers from "the worst effects of relying on expensive imported gas".

"New wind farms, along with solar and battery projects, will be connecting before the end of 2023 but we really need to accelerate the delivery of onshore and offshore renewables if we are to reach our legally-binding carbon emissions reduction targets," he warned.

On pricing, Mr Cunniffe added: "The fall in the average price of wholesale electricity in comparison to June 2022 is welcome news.

"However, average prices before the fossil fuel energy crisis were between €50 and €70 per megawatt-hour so there is still some way to go for consumers to see significant benefits."