Revealed: Ireland's biggest polluters and their failure to control emissions

Despite a year-on-year reduction, the high-emitting firms pumped out more than 23 million tonnes of carbon last year – around a third of all emissions attributed to the country.

Just 10 companies – mainly airlines, cement manufacturers and electricity producers – emitted 20.5 million tonnes.

Ryanair tops the list, with emissions growing to over 10 million tonnes last year as the company continued to grow.

Aer Lingus’s emissions also grew as its activities expanded.

The electricity-generating sector saw emissions fall overall, but that was largely due to a reduction in coal burning at Moneypoint Power Station, which was heavily relied on during the 2022 energy crisis and its emissions soared. Even with the return to more normal activities last year, it still produced 1.4 million tonnes of emissions.

All the other main electricity-generating stations use gas, which, although less carbon-intensive than coal or oil, remains a major challenge for the country’s climate action targets.

Wind and solar have provided up to 40pc of the country’s electricity needs recently, but achieving a major leap in renewable electricity supply requires offshore wind farms, none of which have submitted planning applications yet.

The figures come from the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS), which tracks the emissions of 10,000 manufacturing facilities, power plants and airlines in member states.

Nearly 90 sites in Ireland and airlines registered here are active in the ETS. They include dozens of pharmaceutical and IT plants and food and drink producers.

Dairygold, Kerry Ingredients, Tirlán, St James’s Gate, Pfizer and Eli Lilly are among the big-name companies on the list.

Their production processes require high temperatures, which makes them heavy users of gas for heat.

Heat production is also the main driver of emissions at the four cement plants in the ETS.

Irish Cement’s plants at Platin, Co Louth, and Limerick; Scotchtown Cement in Co Cavan; and Breedon Cement in Co Westmeath emitted more than 2.7 million tonnes of carbon.

The Government has begun examining the possible role of controversial “carbon capture and storage” technologies in reducing cement plant emissions.

Outside of Moneypoint, the single- biggest source of emissions was the Aughinish Alumina metals plant in Co Limerick, which emitted 1,015,332 tonnes of carbon.

While much of Ryanair’s emissions come from flights between other member states, the emissions count follows the country of registration.

Ireland does not have a legal obligation to reduce the airline’s emissions, unlike targets that apply to other sectors, but the company’s continuing expansion has been a source of tension within the Government of late.

Ryanair did not provide comment by the time of publication, but it regularly states that its emissions per passenger are lower than those of other airlines, that it is investing heavily in more energy-efficient aircraft and that there are insufficient state supports for developing low-carbon sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

SAF has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80pc compared with fossil jet fuel

From next year, all EU-based airlines will be required to use 2pc SAF in their fuel mix, and this is to increase to 70pc by 2050.

The Department of Transport said it recognised the importance of SAF.

“SAF has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80pc compared with fossil jet fuel,” it said.

It established a sustainable aviation fuel task force at the end of last year that would help develop a national SAF policy road map.

“To date, the task force has met twice, and the next meeting is anticipated for the end of April 2024,” the department said.

Emissions were down collectively across the EU’s entire ETS sector last year, a result hailed by the European Commission as “impressive” and a testament to the renewable energy transition.

Reductions cannot come fast enough, however, as the effects of climate change are being felt throughout the bloc in extreme heatwaves, droughts, flooding and wildfires.

Ireland is currently enduring one of its wettest winter and spring periods on record, with many farmers in crisis after recurring wet springs.

Ireland’s total emissions for last year, which also include those generated by agriculture, transport and day-to-day activities in homes, public buildings and commercial premises, have not yet been published.

However, the Environmental Protection Agency, which conducts the count, has warned they are not falling fast enough to meet the legally binding target of being halved by 2030.

The Department of the Environment said change was happening.

“We are starting to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” a spokesperson said.

“In 2022, they fell by just under 2pc. In 2023, it is estimated to be closer to 5pc.”

The spokesperson added it was expected coal burning at Moneypoint would end next year and the plant would then be used only as back-up, running on oil.

“While fossil fuels play a significant role in electricity production, we are transitioning at pace to renewables,” they said.