IRELAND IS MORE reliant on imported energy than almost every other country in the European Union, according to new figures published this morning.

Data compiled by the EU’s statistics body, Eurostat, showed that only three countries were more dependant on imported energy than Ireland.

The figures showed that Ireland generated only 11.1 per cent of the energy it used in 2011 – with only Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus faring worse.

In Malta’s case, remarkably, the country imported 100.6 per cent of the energy that it actually used in 2011.

At the other end of the scale, Estonia imported only 12 per cent of the energy it used, ahead of Romania (21 per cent), the Czech Republic (29 per cent) and the Netherlands (30 per cent).

The UK also performed strongly, importing only 36 per cent of the total energy used.

All were bettered by Denmark, the only country which was a net exporter of energy in 2011: it exported energy equivalent to 9 per cent of its total usage.

Eurostat’s figures also showed the impact that the economic downturn has had on the continent – with total energy usage across the bloc, with 500 million residents, falling by 5.7 per cent in 2011 compared to 2010.

Ireland’s total energy use fell by 7.3 per cent, to the equivalent of 13.9 million tonnes of oil. The EU as a whole used the equivalent of almost 1.7 billion tonnes of oil in 2011.

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