Monthly Gas Data. Grid Supply
Provisional monthly data on Ireland’s gas supply. Review what is available from the grid and where it comes from, imports and emissions and insights on seasonal variation. This data supplements the definitive annual data in SEAI’s Energy Balance and Energy in Ireland report.
Use the “quick links” on the left of this page to jump to specific data panels, or to learn more about how to interact with the monthly data panels (and their role, value, and provenance).
Recent Monthly Gas Supply
The top half of this panel shows the monthly total of gas supplied to the national gas grid, broken down by source – indigenous production and imports – over the latest twelve months for which data is available. The bottom half of this panel provides a provisional estimate of the CO2 arising from this gas, both monthly and as the sum of the latest twelve months. The twelve-month total is a useful running indicator because it acts to average-out summer and winter consumption patterns. Estimates of CO2 emissions based on monthly data are useful in giving 'fast feedback' and in highlighting seasonal patterns, but they are provisional results, not definitive results. The EPA’s GHG Inventory is the definitive source of CO2 emissions in Ireland. The emission estimates in this panel act only to supplement and support the EPA’s definitive annual GHG inventory.
Recent Monthly Gas Supply – Breakdown
The top half of this panel shows the percentage-breakdown of gas supply – indigenous production and imports – over the latest twelve months for which data is available. The bottom half of this panel shows a pair of pie-charts. The left pie-chart shows the percentage breakdown of gas supply averaged over the latest twelve months for which data is available. The right pie-chart shows the same breakdown for the single latest month for which data is available.
Long-term Trends in Monthly Gas Supply
The top half of this panel shows the monthly gas supply going back several years. The bar-chart shows the total gas supplied in each month, and the black line shows a twelve-month moving-average of those values. The bar-chart element helps identify seasonal variations (and any short-term “shocks”) in monthly total of gas supplied. The moving average helps identify underlying long-term trends. To improve visual clarity, the latest calendar year is shown in orange, the previous calendar year in yellow, and all preceding years in different shades of blue. The bottom half of this panel shows the “seasonal envelope” of monthly total of gas supplied over the last five years. This plot allows for easy comparison of gas supplied in a given month of the current year (orange) with the previous year (yellow) and the preceding years (blue). It also acts to highlight seasonal variations in the monthly total of gas supplied across the twelve calendar months.
Long-term Trends in Monthly Gas Supply - Explorer
This panel allows users to select multiple gas supply sources – indigenous production, imports, and Stock Draw – and explore the resulting sum of monthly gas supply from those sources. Users can choose their preferred 'unit-of-supply' and zoom-in on a date-range that best suits their interest.
Changes in Monthly Gas Supply
The top half of this panel shows the percentage change in monthly total gas supply relative to the previous month. For example, the percentage change value for April 2022 is the monthly total of gas supplied in April 2022, less the monthly total of gas supplied in March 2022, divided by the monthly total of gas supplied in March 2022. This plot helps identify the typical month-to-month variance in total gas supply, which is typically in the +/-20% range. This month-to-month variance in gas supply is substantially due to the “backing” of wind generation by gas-fired electricity generation plants. The bottom half of this panel shows the percentage change in monthly total of gas supplied relative to same month in the previous year. For example, the percentage change value for April 2022 is the monthly total of gas supplied in April 2022, less the monthly total of gas supplied in April 2021, divided by the monthly total of gas supplied in April 2021. This plot helps identify year-to-year changes in total gas supply and underlying long-term trends.
Monthly Electricity Data - Customizable Download
This panel allows users to download the data underlying all the data panels on this webpage. Users can select their preferred 'unit of supply' (including multiple units) and zoom-in on a date-range that best suits their interest. The table will then show the corresponding monthly totals for each of the gas supply sources. Users can download the table as a CSV or XLSX crosstab by clicking on the small “Download” icon (rectangle with an arrow pointing down) at the bottom right of the panel. Again, please note that while CO2 emission estimates based on provisional monthly are useful in giving “fast feedback”, and in highlighting seasonal patterns, they are not definitive results. The EPA’s GHG is the definitive source of CO2 emissions for Ireland. Due to a range of technical factors. the sum of SEAI’s provisional CO2 emission estimates from January to December will not exactly equal the annual total of a given year.
Interacting with the Monthly Data Panels
In many of the data panels below, users can interact and customise the data views to suit their needs. Users can choose the unit-of-measure for the plot – ktoe (kilotonnes of oil equivalent), GWh (gigawatt hours), or TJ (terajoules). In some panels users can use a “slider” to select and zoom-in on a particular date-range of interest. In many cases, hovering the cursor over an element of a plot in a panel will invoke a tool tip that provides numerical detail of the underlying element. Users can download a panel as an image file (PNG), or its underlying data (CSV or XLSX crosstab) by clicking on the small “Download” icon (rectangle with an arrow pointing down) at the bottom right of the panel. Alternatively, users can customise and download the underlying data for all panels on this page, by using the Monthly Electricity Data - Customizable Download panel. Due to the detailed nature of the plots and tables, and how tool tips are optimised for a mouse, rather than a finger, this page is best viewed on a monitor rather than a smartphone.
Role and Value of Monthly Data
Provisional monthly data is not as robust as the definitive annual data published in SEAI’s Energy Balance or the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Emission (GHG) Inventory. The surveys used to collect annual data are more inclusive and more exhaustive than those used to collect monthly data, and the detailed cross-agency reconciliation applied to annual data is not possible for monthly data. However, provisional monthly data has two advantages over annual data – it is available more quickly, and it allows seasonal variations (or market shocks, such as Covid-19 impacts) to be identified. The rapid provision of energy and emission data to Irish policymakers, journalists, researchers, and public is particularly important, given the relatively short 5-year windows of Ireland’s carbon budgets, and the significant emission reductions that need to be achieved within them. While CO2 emission estimates based on provisional monthly are useful in giving “fast feedback”, and in highlighting seasonal patterns, they are not definitive results. The EPA’s GHG is the definitive source of CO2 emissions for Ireland. Due to a range of technical factors. the sum of SEAI’s provisional CO2 emission estimates from January to December will not exactly equal the annual total of a given year.
Data Provenance and Conversions
Monthly Gas Supply data is confidentially collected by SEAI from network operators and suppliers, for statistical purposes, under the European Energy Statistics Regulation of 2008 (no.1099). Gas Supply data is collected and published by SEAI on a one-month retrospective basis. For example, data for March (i.e. covering gas supplied between 01-MAR and 31-MAR) is typically published on 30-APR. The exact date of publication is dictated by the timeliness of accurate submissions by energy suppliers. SEAI would like to thank all energy suppliers that participate in its statistical surveys. Monthly Gas Supply data is collected in units of TJ, with SEAI making the conversion to ktoe and GWh. To comply with international reporting obligations, Monthly Gas Supply data is collected in terms of gross calorific values (GCVs), as opposed to the net calorific values (NCVs) mandated for SEAI’s Energy Balance. SEAI makes simple provisional estimates of the CO2 emissions from the Monthly Gas Supply by applying a weighted effective emission factor. Emissions from the consumption of gas are spread across multiple sectors in Ireland’s 2021-2025 carbon budget – electricity, residential, commercial, industry, etc. The EPA’s GHG Inventory is the definitive source of CO2 emissions for Ireland. The energy emission estimates on this page, based on provisional monthly energy data from SEAI, act only to supplement and support the EPA’s definitive annual GHG inventory. SEAI’s provisional monthly emission estimates will be overwritten by the EPA’s definitive GHG inventory.