Renewables met 48% of Ireland’s electricity consumption in October; wind supplied 40%

Irish transmission system operator EirGrid announced on 5 November, based on provisional data, that renewable sources met 48% of Ireland’s electricity needs in October 2026. The share was up from 43% in September and 45% in October last year, public broadcaster RTÉ also reported.

The figures. Wind farms generated 1,237 GWh, compared with 1,015 GWh in September, or about 40% of the electricity used. Grid-connected solar farms accounted for around 4% of the mix, excluding rooftop panels. Gas-fired plants supplied 38%, and 13% was imported via interconnectors. System demand was 3,101 GWh, up from 2,857 GWh in September.

What the operator says. “Renewables supplied almost half of our electricity in October, with wind making a significant contribution,” said Diarmaid Gillespie, Director of System Operations at EirGrid. According to the operator, the grid can currently run on up to 75% electricity from renewable sources at any one time, and the plan is to raise this threshold to 95%.

Context. Demand rises as winter approaches. EirGrid’s Winter Outlook, published on 19 October for the period from 2 November 2026 to 4 April 2027, estimates a loss of load expectation (LOLE) of 0.8 hours, below the standard of 3 hours a year, compared with 1.1 hours last winter. The operator cites 275 MW of new gas-fired peaking plants, 63 MW of batteries and a further 809 MW of wind and solar capacity.

What comes next. The forecast peak demand for this winter (median scenario) is 6,101 MW, compared with 5,916 MW recorded on 5 January 2026. EirGrid warns that the system may at times enter the Alert state, most likely during periods of low wind and low interconnector imports.

Real-time data for the country is on the country page