The SEM Committee recently published the 2020 All-Island Fuel Mix Disclosure and CO2 emissions for electricity suppliers in the SEM. The fuel mix of suppliers does not represent the all-island generation mix as suppliers may use Guarantees of Origin (GOs) of renewable electricity generated from other EEA Member States.
SEMC publishes fuel mix and emissions for 2020
The share of fossil fuels in the All-Island Fuel Mix has fallen from 89% in 2008 to 42.1% in 2020, while the share of renewable fuel sources have increased five-fold from 11% in 2008 to 57.9% in 2020. Imports of GO certificates increased by 29% in 2020 (13.5 million) from 2019 (10.5 million). The SEMC notes this increase was largely driven by an increase in imported GOs sourced from hydropower.
The average all-island CO2 emissions per kWh of electricity decreased by 7% between 2019 and 2020, from 254 g/kWh in 2019 to 236 g/kWh in 2020. This is in line with a longer-term downward trend in average CO2 emissions, having fallen by 56% from 533 g/kWh in 2008. This is driven by the increase in the share of renewable fuel sources and the net importation of GOs.