Ireland's overall energy use and related CO2 emissions increased by approximately 5 per cent, however it still remains lower than economic growth which is almost 8 per cent, according to provisional figures for 2015 from the Sustainable Energy Authority Ireland (SEAI).

The SEAI said the figures showed "mixed results" and said progress made in renewable energy deployment could be easily undone if Ireland fails to decouple energy use from economic growth and accelerate the move away from fossil fuels.

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Also, in the same period Ireland's use of renewables for power, heat and transport increased by 13 per cent.

Dr Eimear Cotter, SEAI Head of Low Carbon Technologies said: "These figures show the complexity of our energy system and the interplay of economic growth, renewable energy deployment and fossil fuel prices.

"We need continued progress in energy efficiency in our homes and businesses and an increase in the use of renewables across all technologies in our energy system".

(CD)