Stormy Weather Results in Wind Energy Records

Wind generation hit a record high of 4,584 megawatts (MW) on Saturday at 1.15pm, as Ireland prepared to play Wales at the Aviva stadium in Dublin. Total demand for electricity across the island at the time was 5,335 MW.

The record surpassed the previous total of 4,489 MW set in February 2021.

A new Ireland-only record of 3,603 MW was established later that evening at 5.45pm, beating the previous record of 3,591 MW also set in February 2021.

Commenting on the records, EirGrid chief executive Mark Foley said: “For over 24 hours from Saturday morning, engineers in our control centres in Belfast and Dublin managed a power system that comprised over 70% wind power.

“This is an amazing technical achievement and is testament to the expertise of the SONI staff in Belfast and the EirGrid staff in Dublin.”

Wind energy reached a peak of 96% of all-island demand for electricity on Sunday at 00.30am.

EirGrid has undertaken a major project to reshape the grid so that it can carry up to 80% of Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030, as set out in the Government's Climate Action Plan (2021).