Our members across the island of Ireland work hard every day to power Ireland’s economy and society; to power transport, industry, agriculture, maritime and aviation and to heat Irish homes.
Our goal is clear: the members of Fuels for Ireland are going to take every step necessary to make not only our industry, but also Ireland, carbon neutral by 2050.
Powering Ireland’s Road Transport - Fuels for Ireland is determined to continue powering Ireland’s road transport, but we know that changing the way we do this will be crucial to reducing the environmental impact of the transport sector.
Powering Ireland’s homes – Over 700,000 Irish homes are heated using oil, according to CSO. Fuelling Irish homes while reducing our emissions will be a challenging process, but we have created a clear and well-defined pathway to a sustainable future in this area.
Powering Ireland’s economy - As our economy grows and our agri-food sector continues its outstanding performance, both industry and agriculture will need the fuels which our members provide.
Powering aviation - As an island economy containing key international airports connecting us to countries all across the world, the aviation sector is absolutely crucial to Ireland’s present and future economic prosperity and social well-being. Along with our colleagues in FuelsEurope, Fuels for Ireland believes that low carbon liquid fuels such as this could be used to reduce 50% of CO2 emissions in aviation by 2050.
Powering maritime - Irish ports handled more than 55 million tonnes of goods in 2018, goods transported on ships travelling to and from all corners of the world. The rise of alternative shipping fuels has meant that biofuels and methanol are now available in some sectors, while there are now 300 ships in operation or on order which are fuelled using liquified natural gas (LNG).**
Sector Profile 2019
Each year we deep dive into the sector to analyse current trends and forecast for the future.
Our Values
Diversified Approach
New technologies such as electric vehicles or electric heat pumps are a valuable part of the overall energy transition, and they will become even more important in the years to come. But given the wide-ranging energy needs of the population, they alone cannot fulfil the task of fuelling Ireland in a sustainable manner over the coming years. Low carbon liquid fuels and electrification are complementary, rather than being in competition with one another, and a strategy which employs a diversified approach is much more likely to deliver positive results.
Technological Neutrality
The key goal for Fuels for Ireland is making our sector carbon neutral by 2050. Whether carbon reductions come about as a result of electrification or other innovations should not be the key consideration. The key consideration should be: does this approach deliver the carbon reductions we need? There is no silver bullet when it comes to making our sector carbon neutral, and it is vital that policymakers consider a range of solutions, regardless of whether or not they rely exclusively on electrification.
Open Communication
Fuels for Ireland intends to be proactive in making the necessary changes, rather than waiting for direction from others. However, it makes perfect sense to work with the Government and all other stakeholders and to communicate regularly about the policies which are working, and those which could be made to work better.
About Us
Our Members
Kevin McPartlan
CEO
Kevin joined the then Irish Petroleum Industry Association as Chief Executive Officer in 2018. He worked with Members to redefine the vision of the organisation to reflect the shared understanding that the fossil fuels cannot be the basis of Ireland’s long-term energy plans, or the basis of the industry’s long-term business strategy. This understanding led to the renaming of the organisation as Fuels for Ireland.
Kevin is now determined to work with all Members to maintain a resolute focus achieving carbon neutrality for Ireland by 2050, while continuing to vigorously advocate on behalf of Members on fuel specifications, health and safety, tax and other issues.
He has an academic background in law and has worked in communications and public affairs roles for NGOs, start-ups, major multinational corporations, business representative bodies, political leaders and sovereign States.