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EPA publishes Annual Report and Accounts for 2025

Date released: September 10, 2026

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today published its Annual Report and Accounts 2025. In 2025, the EPA delivered as an environmental regulator and through provision of timely science and data on Ireland’s environment. The EPA strives to drive action on climate, promote a circular economy, deliver cleaner water, cleaner air and reduce exposure to harmful radiation, noise, chemicals and pathogens through regulation, enforcement, research, monitoring and assessment.

In 2025, the EPA published over 60 national reports across a range of sectors including waste, drinking water, air quality, water quality, climate and radiation among others. A total of 121 authorisations were issued across the EPA’s licensing and permitting regimes, including establishing a new water abstractions licensing regime. In addition, the EPA regulated over 900 industrial and waste facilities, over 1,000 waste water treatment plants and almost 700 drinking water treatment plants during 2025.  

Commenting on the work of the EPA, Dr Eimear Cotter, EPA Director General said:

“2025 was another record year for the EPA. Our teams were in the field monitoring air and water quality nationwide, analysed national greenhouse gas emissions and assessed Ireland’s progress towards climate targets. 
As a regulator, the EPA determined a growing number of key regulatory decisions spanning multiple sectors, while enforcement teams ensured compliance with licence conditions, including taking prosecutions where necessary.”

She added:

“There was a particular focus on effective regulation of the waste sector. The EPA delivered 16 waste decisions in 2025, marking a significant increase on previous years. Progress was also made in processing timely and robust licencing decisions for industrial sectors, including reducing backlogs by 30% in 2025.”

Some further highlights from EPA activities and notable developments in 2025 include:

  • Over 2,100 inspections were carried out across 900 industrial and waste facilities, over 1,000 waste water treatment plants and almost 700 drinking water treatment plants.  
  • The publication of Ireland’s first National Climate Change Risk Assessment (NCCRA) providing a comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of current and future climate risks in Ireland. 
  • The prioritisation of investigations into large scale illegal peat extraction. A total of 46 site visits were completed across seven counties. Legal actions in the District and High Courts have successfully halted illegal peat extraction on several of these sites. 
  • A total of 121 authorisations were issued across the EPA's licensing and permitting regimes in 2025 including industrial emissions, waste, waste water discharge, water abstractions, dumping at sea and genetically modified organisms.
  • At the end of 2025, approximately 467,000 people were served by 3 public water supplies on the EPA’s Remedial Action List (RAL). This compared to over 496,000 and 45 supplies at the end of 2024. This represents the lowest number of supplies on the list since 2008 when the RAL was established. 
  • The EPA awarded €17 million in new research, funding 68 early career researchers supporting essential new climate and environmental research capacity in Ireland. The publication of the 500th EPA Research Report marked another major milestone.

The EPA Annual Report and Accounts 2025 is available on the EPA website in both English and Irish.

Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office:  053-91 70770 (24 hours) and media@epa.ie