The link between Ireland's energy consumption and its economic growth has been significantly decoupled for the first time as new figures for 2002 show a drop in carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions.
Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), a Government-funded statutory body that promotes the development of sustainable energy, said energy consumption for 2002 were unchanged year-on-year but that CO 2emissions dropped by 1.4 per cent.
"This marks the first time since 1990 that energy consumption has significantly decoupled from economic activity and also that CO 2emissions have decoupled from energy growth," SEI said.
EU targets for the reduction of emissions under the Kyoto Protocol are based on emissions from 1990.
SEI said the figures suggest that 2002 was unique over the 12-year period of analysis with economic growth increasing by 6.9 per cent, energy consumption showing a very slight increase of 0.1 per cent, and energy related CO 2emissions decreasing by 1.4 per cent.
Other reasons for the trend include significant industrial plant closures during 2002, a lower overall level of oil consumption in industry and the fact that 2002 was a relatively warm year, which meant a reduction in the use of heating.
However, it said Ireland remains heavily dependent on imported energy dominated by oil and gas, which accounts for 89 per cent of total energy consumption compared with an EU average of 50 per cent.
The transport sector was the highest energy consuming sector, accounting for 31 per cent of all energy consumed.
SEI said the transport sector showed a deterioration in efficiency of about 9 per cent in the 12 years between 1990 and 2002, the only sector to show such a decline. Energy consumption in the transport sector grew by some 120 per cent during that period.
Mr David Taylor, chief executive of SEI, said: "The findings contained in this report raise important questions - specifically whether the figures for the year 2002 are an anomaly, or whether they are the first signs of a reversal of the previous upward trend in energy related greenhouse gas emissions."
"We believe that these findings mark a significant step in Ireland's acknowledging its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. The commissioning of two new high efficiency gas electricity power plants in 2002 contributed significantly to this improvement in sustainable energy.
"Improved efficiency, together with further switching from oil to gas in electricity generation, had the effect of reducing emissions associated with electricity supply. Every unit of electricity consumed in 2002 caused 721 grams of CO 2to be emitted representing a 9 per cent reduction compared with 2001."