Forfás - Assessment of Ireland's Oil Dependence

Forfás is Ireland's national policy advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation

10 to 15 years from now, conventional oil supply will no longer be capable of satisfying world demand

Ireland consumed nine million tonnes of oil in 2004, an amount that has doubled since 1990

Ireland is ranked 3rd highest among the EU-25 countries in terms of oil consumed per capita

Ireland relies considerably more on oil for electricity generation than most other EU countries and as of 2002 was the 6th most dependent country of the EU-25 countries.

The amount of oil consumed for transportation in Ireland tripled between 1972 and 2002

Ireland is particularly vulnerable to an oil shock whether in the form of high prices or oil shortages. Ireland is among the most sensitive to rising oil prices and therefore among the most vulnerable to a peak oil scenario.

The full report is available here