Ireland is set to “very substantially” miss its 2030 renewable energy targets due to a persistent lack of urgency in government policy implementation, the Irish Academy of Engineering (IAE) said in a new report on Tuesday.
The Academy said government measures designed to accelerate renewable deployment are not delivering as intended, with delays now putting the country’s climate commitments at risk. It warned that the shortfall could leave the State exposed to “large financial liabilities”.
Energy-related sectors currently account for 55% of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions, the report noted. The Academy said that while long-term ambition is high, the technologies needed to completely remove these emissions by mid-century “do not exist”.
The group also criticised the design of current carbon budgets and sector-specific emissions ceilings, saying they were established “without adequate regard to engineering realities”. Greater certainty is needed, it said, that new infrastructure—including renewable generation, transmission lines, distribution upgrades and back-up capacity—will be delivered in time to meet rising electricity demand.
The IAE called for national policy to be rebalanced to give greater weight to energy prices, security of supply and practical project delivery. Future energy strategies, it said, should align more closely with engineering constraints, economic impacts and realistic timelines.
The Academy also noted that Ireland’s emissions are too small on a global scale for achieving national climate neutrality by 2050 to have a measurable impact on Ireland’s own climate.
