Commentary

This graph shows the total cost of importing fossil fuels into the economy. as with most ECCO outputs, the cost is expressed in physical terms, but please note that this graph shows the cost, not the calorific value of the fuel once it has been imported. Today, typically 5-10% of a fossil fuel's caloeific value is expended on getting it to market.

Ireland is a net importer of fossil fuels, hence the numbers are negative. Clearly, the BAU profile is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, whereas the Enlightened Transition and Fair Shares scenarios have come some way in decreasing the dependency. Since the oil peak is occurs at 2030 in the Fair Shares and Business as Usual scenarios the cost of any imported fossil fuel will increase sharper after this date hence the fall in the curves which is more drastic for the Business As Usual scenario. Fair Shares is less energy intense therefore the dependence on imported fosil fuels is lower and imported fuel costs are less.

The localisation scenario collapses completely around 2030, and the data beyond that point has no real meaning.