This EU country is ending coal. Two large EU countries next

According to data from think tank Ember, increasing the use of renewable energy in Europe to combat climate change has led to coal’s presence in the grid almost being halved . By 2013, the most polluting fossil fuel had the largest share of Europe’s energy mix.

This is the end of coal in Ireland and the beginning of a cleaner energy future, ESB CEO Paddy Hayes said in a statement, according to Bloomberg.

Ireland follows UK in moving away from coal

Wind energy driving changes in Ireland's energy mix

The shift has been made possible by Ireland’s growing wind sector , which now supplies more than a third of the country’s electricity. However, environmental groups have warned that growing reliance on gas and the expansion of data centres could undermine Ireland’s climate goals unless major investments are made in grid flexibility and storage .

Moneypoint will remain active in emergency situations

Ireland’s Moneypoint coal-fired power station will remain on standby, burning oil in emergencies under the management of Irish grid operator EirGrid until 2029.

The facility is undergoing a transformation to accommodate more assets for the energy transition , with Ireland’s first synchronous compensator due to commence operations there in 2022.

The device helps regulate the grid in the face of growing renewable energy sources. This type of grid stability is important, especially when large amounts of renewable energy flood the system, which many point to as the cause of Spain’s recent power outage.

According to beyondfossilfuels.org, cited by Bloomberg, Spain intends to close all its remaining coal-fired units this year , while Italy also plans to phase out its last two coal-fired power plants on the country's mainland in 2025, leaving two more such units in Sardinia - but only until the island is connected to the mainland by a Pomeranian power cable.