The primary natural resources of the Republic of Ireland include natural gas, petroleum, peat, copper, lead, dolomite, barite, limestone, gypsum, silver and zinc. Key industries based on these and other natural resources include fishing, mining, and various forms of agriculture and fish farming. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources is charged with the legislative protection of Ireland's natural resources.
The historic and archaeological record of the island demonstrates a history of mining dating to Bronze Age Ireland, when the south was an important copper producer – including from sites at Ross Island, Kerry, Allihies, Cork and later Bunmahon, Waterford.
Mining became more industrialised during the Industrial Revolution, [1] and gold mining experienced some growth – including a "gold rush" in the late 18th and early 19th centuries at Gold Mines River, Wicklow. [2] Later 20th and 21st century gold-mining plans were met with significant opposition owing to the expected environmental impact. [3] [4]
By the late 20th century, Ireland became a significant player in the industry, ranking highly in a Fraser Institute survey. [5] As of 2007, Ireland produced 38% of Western Europe's zinc and 25% of its lead, [6] from lead and zinc mines including Lisheen Mine, Tipperary, Tara Mine, Meath, and Galmoy Mine, Kilkenny.
As of the 21st century, mining companies operating in Ireland include Anglo-American plc, [7] Arcon, [8] New Boliden, [9] Conroy Diamonds and Gold, [10] Hereward Ventures plc, [11] Minco Mining & Metals Corporation, [12] and others.
Primary raw material industries in Ireland include those involving steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminium, barite, and gypsum mining processing.[ citation needed ] Heavy industry relying on these materials is centered around key port cities such as Dublin, Cork, and Belfast (the latter in Northern Ireland).[ citation needed ]
Peat has been Ireland's staple fuel for centuries and as of 2005 it provided about 9% of the country's energy needs. [13] Peatlands cover approximately 17% of the area of Ireland, [14] and Bord na Móna (the "Peat Board") is a semi-state company charged with the mechanised harvesting of peat – extracting more than 4 million tonnes in 2014. [15] Bord na Móna reduced peat harvesting in 2017 and implemented a "Brown to Green" transition to eliminate peat harvesting from 2018. [16] In recent years,[ when? ] peat harvesting has been continued by individuals who generally use the fuel in their domestic fireplaces and appliances.[ citation needed ]
Major fossil fuel finds include the Kinsale Head gas field and Corrib gas field. The latter entails the extraction of gas from a natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of Ireland. The project includes a development of the Corrib gas field, and constructions of the natural gas pipeline and a gas processing plant. The Corrib project attracted significant and sustained controversy [17] [18] owing to concerns about its environmental impact, safety issues (due to proximity to residential areas), alleged planning irregularities, debate on the conditions in which private interests benefit from state resources, and the perceived poor contribution that the project returns to the economy. [19] [20] [21] A number of groups, notably the Rossport Five and Shell to Sea campaign, gained national attention for their opposition to the project. [22] While, as of 2024, the Corrib gas field had been substantially depleted, an adjacent gas find called Iniskea is seeking to connect to the Corrib subsea infrastructure and maintain the jobs and onshore investment in County Mayo. [23]
An Irish oil exploration company called Providence Resources announced in July 2012 that it had discovered a field with in excess of 1 billion barrels of oil at the Barryroe oil well, 70 km from the coast of County Cork. [24] Providence later revised the amount of oil obtainable to approximately 300 million barrels, worth several billions of euro. [25] Providence has interests in other Irish oil and gas fields, including one off the coast of Spanish Point in Clare. [26] [27] Other potential offshore oil and gas fields have yet to be explored for viability. [28]
Ireland's experience with state-sponsored renewable energy projects dates from 1925, and the Ardnacrusha project. Other new and renewable energy projects include hydroelectric, solar, and wind power initiatives, including one of the country's first wind farms at Bellacorick in 1992. [29] [30]
Farming (including livestock rearing, dairy products, cereals, potatoes), is a key contributor to the Economy of Ireland. In 2005, Ireland exported approximately €7.3 billion worth of agri-food and drink (about 8.6% of its exports), mainly as cattle, beef, and dairy products, and mainly to the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland). [31] Agriculture products include turnips, barley, potatoes, wheat, beef, and dairy products. The warmer and more moist conditions in the south and southwest have the potential to support other crops – including soybeans. [32]
The fishing grounds around Ireland's territorial seas and waters include the Irish Conservation Box – a 100,000 km2 zone specifically protected from overfishing. [33] In addition, Ireland has many thousands of kilometres of fish-bearing rivers and lakes. These fresh water habitats support native fish species including char, eel, brown trout, perch, pike, pollan, and roach. [34] The North Atlantic Drift warms the waters off the coast, increasing the number of warm water fish species caught offshore. [35]
Ireland has amongst the lowest forest cover of all European countries, with 11% coverage compared to a European average of over 30%. [36] [37] Coillte is the state-sponsored entity responsible for forestry management – it is responsible to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Minister for Finance.
Mushrooms are a significant industry in Ireland and one that bears the significant exposure from Brexit negotiations. Irish producers grow around 70,000 tons of mushrooms each year, 80% of which are sold in the UK, for a value of €120 million each year. Fresh mushrooms need to be sold very quickly after harvest, about 5 to 7 days. The industry is heavily dependent on the open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with producers poised close to the border and working together on a cross-border basis to purchase supplies and transport their harvested produce. [38]
The Wildlife Act 1976 sought to protect certain wildlife (including game) and flora. Under its terms, the Wildlife Advisory Council (later abolished in 1987) was established, responsible for wildlife reserves, protection of breeding grounds, herd management, and migration. The act also covered new legislation relating to land, inland waters and territorial waters. [39] The act was amended several times. The first in 1985 sought to manage and protect birds, and the second in 1986 added controls on wild bird species. The Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 provided protection for Natural Heritage Areas as well as legislation relating to hunting of birds in protected forests.
The Forestry Act 1988, made provisions for the enlargement of forestry in the state, and provided the establishment of a company – later named Coillte – which was mandated with the management of state owned forests, and with providing grant aid to commercial and privately owned forest farming and planted woodland. [40] It was amended on 15 August 2000.
Originally constituted on 11 August 1959, the Sea Pollution Act set out to prevent the pollution of the sea, gave effect to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, and related matters. [41] Also included was the maintenance of marine pollution, oil pollution, and waste water.
The Protection of the Environment 2003 provided for the execution of Directive 96/61/EC concerning integrated pollution prevention and control. It also amended the Environmental Protection Agency Act of 1992 and the Waste Management Act of 1996 and the Litter Pollution Act 1997. [42] It mainly sought to prevent water pollution and protect land and soil quality.
The Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2001 sought to modify and extend the Fisheries (Amendment) Act 1997; to confirm fees for certain fish culture and aquaculture licenses. [43] The Fisheries (Amendment) Act 2001 sought to support the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This related to the conservation and management of fish stocks; licensing of sea-fishing boats, to amend the Foreshore Act 1933, the Fisheries Acts 1959 to 2001 and the Merchant Shipping (Certification of Seamen) Act of 1979. [44]
Ireland is an island in Northern Europe in the north Atlantic Ocean. The island, of up to around 480 km (300 mi) north-south, and 275 km (171 mi) east-west, lies near the western edge of the European continental shelf, part of the Eurasian Plate. Its main geographical features include low central plains surrounded by coastal mountains. The highest peak is Carrauntoohil, which is 1,039 metres (3,409 ft) above sea level. The western coastline is rugged, with many islands, peninsulas, headlands and bays, while the southern and northern coasts feature a smaller number of substantial sea inlets, such as Lough Foyle and Cork Harbour; no part of the land is more than around 110 km (68 mi) from the sea. It was administratively divided into 32 counties, gathered in 4 provinces, though current arrangements, especially in Northern Ireland, differ from this model. The island is almost bisected by the River Shannon, which at 360.5 km (224 mi) with a 102.1 km (63 mi) estuary is the longest river in Ireland and flows south from County Cavan in the province of Ulster to form the boundary between Connacht and Leinster, and later Munster, and meet the Atlantic just south and west of Limerick. There are a number of sizeable lakes along Ireland's rivers, of which Lough Neagh is the largest.
Bord na Móna is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company began developing the peatlands of Ireland with the aim to provide economic benefit for Irish Midland communities and achieve security of energy supply for the recently formed Irish Republic. The development of peatlands involved the mechanised harvesting of peat, which took place primarily in the Midlands of Ireland.
Teck Resources Limited, known as Teck Cominco until late 2008, is a diversified natural resources company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is engaged in mining and mineral development, including coal for the steelmaking industry, copper, zinc, and energy. Secondary products include lead, silver, gold, molybdenum, germanium, indium and cadmium. Teck Resources was formed from the amalgamation of Teck and Cominco in 2001.
A State-Sponsored Body is the name given in Ireland to a state-owned enterprise, that is to say, a commercial business which is beneficially owned, either completely or majority, by the Irish Government. Each state-sponsored body has a sponsor Minister who acts as shareholder, either independently, or in conjunction with the Minister for Finance, who may also be a shareholder. State-sponsored bodies are often popularly called semi-state companies, a misnomer, since they are all (mostly) fully owned by the state, in addition not all of them are actually companies.
The Corrib gas project is a developed natural gas deposit located in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 83 kilometres (52 mi) off the northwest coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The project includes a natural gas pipeline and an onshore gas processing plant, which commenced gas production in 2015. During its development, the project attracted considerable opposition.
Mining in Japan is minimal because Japan does not possess many on-shore mineral resources. Many of the on-shore minerals have already been mined to the point that it has become less expensive to import minerals. There are small deposits of coal, oil, iron and minerals in the Japanese archipelago. Japan is scarce in critical natural resources and has been heavily dependent on imported energy and raw materials. There are major deep sea mineral resources in the seabed of Japan. This is not mined yet due to technological obstacles for deep sea mining.
Vedanta Resources Limited is a diversified mining company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India and has mining operations in Australia and Zambia and oil and gas operations in three countries. Its main products are Zinc, Lead, Silver, Oil & Gas, Iron Ore, Steel, Aluminium and Power. It has also developed commercial power stations in India in Odisha and Punjab.
Shell to Sea is an Irish organisation based in the parish of Kilcommon in Erris, County Mayo.
As of 2021, the island of Ireland had 5,585 MW of installed wind power capacity, with 4,309 MW in the Republic of Ireland. In 2020, wind provided over 86% of Ireland's renewable electricity and generated 36.3% of Ireland's electricity demand, one of the highest percentages globally. In 2023, Wind Energy Ireland confirmed that wind farms provided 35 per cent of Ireland and Northern Ireland’s electricity in 2023, totalling a record breaking 13,725 gigawatt-hours (GWh). Ireland has over 300 wind farms, mostly onshore. A Public Service Obligation subsidy supports renewable energy and wind power development, driven by concerns over energy, security, and climate change mitigation.
Romania ranks tenth in the world in terms of the diversity of minerals produced in the country. Around 60 different minerals are currently produced in Romania. The richest mineral deposits in the country are halite.
The Corrib gas controversy was a social protest campaign against the Corrib gas project in north-western County Mayo, Ireland. The project involves the processing of gas onshore through Broadhaven and Sruth Fada Conn bays in Kilcommon. Originally spearheaded by local advocacy groups Shell to Sea and Pobal Chill Chomáin, the protests later grew to national prominence due to the heavy-handed approach taken by the Garda Síochána and private security firms towards the protestors. The project was jointly managed by Shell E&P Ireland and Statoil Exploration Limited, and supported by the Irish government.
Hydrocarbons are the leading sector in Algeria's mineral industry, which includes diverse but modest production of metals and industrial minerals. In 2006, helium production in Algeria accounted for about 13% of total world output. Hydrocarbons produced in Algeria accounted for about 2.9% of total world natural gas output and about 2.2% of total world crude oil output in 2006. Algeria held about 21% of total world identified resources of helium, 2.5% of total world natural gas reserves, and about 1% of total world crude oil reserves.
The mineral industry of Kazakhstan is one of the most competitive and fastest growing sectors of the country. Kazakhstan ranks second to Russia among the countries of the CIS in its quantity of mineral production. It is endowed with large reserves of a wide range of metallic ores, industrial minerals, and fuels, and its metallurgical sector is a major producer of a large number of metals from domestic and imported raw materials. In 2005, its metal mining sector produced bauxite, chromite, copper, iron, lead, manganese, and zinc ores, and its metallurgical sector produced such metals as beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, copper, ferroalloys, lead, magnesium, rhenium, steel, titanium, and zinc. The country produced significant amounts of other nonferrous and industrial mineral products, such as alumina, arsenic, barite, gold, molybdenum, phosphate rock, and tungsten. The country was a large producer of mineral fuels, including coal, natural gas, oil, and uranium. The country's economy is heavily dependent on the production of minerals. Output from Kazakhstan's mineral and natural resources sector for 2004 accounted for 74.1% of the value of industrial production, of which 43.1% came from the oil and gas condensate extraction. In 2004, the mineral extraction sector accounted for 32% of the GDP, employed 191,000 employees, and accounted for 33.1% of capital investment and 64.5% of direct foreign investment, of which 63.5% was in the oil sector. Kazakhstan's mining industry is estimated at US$29.5 billion by 2017.
The mineral industry of Peru has played an important role in the nation's history and been integral to the country's economic growth for several decades. The industry has also contributed to environmental degradation and environmental injustice; and is a source of environmental conflicts that shape public debate on good governance and development.
The total cultivable area in India was reported as 155,369,076 hectares as of 2020, and is shrinking due to over-farming, increased livestock grazing, deforestation, urban growth, and severe weather events. India has a total water surface area of 314,070 km2.
Sruwaddacon Bay is a tidal estuary which runs through the middle of the Gaeltacht Kilcommon parish in Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. It is of historical importance in Irish legend, an important marine habitat, an E.U. Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and an EU Special Protected Area. Its translated name in English, "Stream of the Long Hound", reflects its general shape. It enters the Atlantic Ocean through Broadhaven Bay, another Special Area of Conservation.
The natural resources of the Arctic are the mineral and animal natural resources which provide or have potential to provide utility or economic benefit to humans. The Arctic contains significant amounts of minerals, boreal forests, marine life, and fresh water.
Ireland is a net energy importer. Ireland's import dependency decreased to 85% in 2014. The cost of all energy imports to Ireland was approximately €5.7 billion, down from €6.5 billion (revised) in 2013 due mainly to falling oil and, to a lesser extent, gas import prices. Consumption of all fuels fell in 2014 with the exception of peat, renewables and non-renewable wastes.
The Benguela Current Commission, or BCC, is a multi-sectoral inter-governmental, initiative of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. It promotes the sustainable management and protection of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem, or BCLME. The BCC was established in January 2007 through the signing of an Interim Agreement between the governments of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. Then, on 18 March 2013, the three governments signed the Benguela Current Convention, an environmental treaty that entrenches the Benguela Current Commission as a permanent inter-governmental organization.
The mining industry of Yemen is at present dominated by fossil mineral of petroleum and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and to a limited extent by extraction of dimension stone, gypsum, and refined petroleum. Reserves of metals like cobalt, copper, gold, iron ore, nickel, niobium, platinum-group metals, silver, tantalum, and zinc are awaiting exploration. Industrial minerals with identified reserves include black sands with ilmenite, monazite, rutile, and zirconium, celestine, clays, dimension stone, dolomite, feldspar, fluorite, gypsum, limestone, magnesite, perlite, pure limestone, quartz, salt, sandstone, scoria, talc, and zeolites; some of these are under exploitation.
In 2014, the Group achieved [had] a final yield of 4.5 million tonnes, 0.5 million tonnes above the target for the year
Ireland has the lowest forest cover of all European countries: approximately 11% compared to a European average of well over 30%