Ireland has officially joined the ranks of coal-free nations in Europe. Ireland shut down its last coal power plant, the 915 MW Moneypoint station in County Clare. On June 20, 2025, it was officially removed from the electricity market by decision of EirGrid and ESB.
When the oil crisis in the 1970s happened, in the mid-1980s, Moneypoint was built to give Ireland a stable energy source. For many years, it was the main coal power plant in the country. Its shutdown follows Ireland’s plan to stop using coal for electricity by the end of 2025.
This transition was possible because of Ireland’s increasing dependency on renewable energy sources, particularly in wind energy. According to energy think tank Ember, in 2024, Ireland generated 37% of its electricity from wind.
Solar power is still in its early stages, and it achieved a record of energy generation, reaching 0.97 TWh in 2024.
Moneypoint has ceased regular operations; it will remain available as a backup oil-fired power source under emergency instructions from EirGrid until 2029.
The Environmental groups appreciated this move. Ireland has silently rewritten its energy story. Alexandru Mustata said the country is replacing a toxic coal environment with homegrown renewable power. However, he also said that this is not the end of the journey and requested that the government invest in storage systems, grid upgrades, and flexible infrastructure to support a fully renewable energy system.
Jerry Mac Evilly from Friends of the Earth Ireland highlighted the need to minimize the dependency on Moneypoint’s oil backup and criticized ongoing plans to develop more gas-fired power plants and data centers, which increase dependency on fossil fuels.
Ireland sets a strong example in Europe. It is now the 15th country in Europe to stop using coal for electricity. In total, 23 European countries have promised to stop using coal. Italy and a large part of Spain are also going to announce a coal-free status by the end of this summer.
Ireland’s move away from coal shows how other countries in Europe are choosing cleaner energy sources.
Source
https://www.powermag.com/ireland-ends-use-of-coal-for-power-generation
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