Nearly 26% of renewable electricity produced in Northern Ireland from wind and solar in 2024 was lost due to constraints and curtailment on the electricity grid.

Across the border, nearly 9% of renewable electricity was lost due to grid challenges.

Provisional data released from EirGrid shows that overall, across the island, the percentage of renewable electricity lost is up considerably from 9.5% in 2023.

The figures indicate that during times of the year, more renewable electricity was being produced than the grid could physically handle, collectively known as dispatch down.

In December, dispatch down peaked at 38.4% in Northern Ireland and reached 20.1% in the Republic.

In order to meet the island's renewable electricity target of 80% by 2030, significant investment will be needed into the island’s national grids.

However, in the absence of sweeping planning reforms, the likelihood of securing permission to build the necessary infrastructure on time is diminishing by the day.