An ambitious plan to produce the majority of Northern Ireland’s electricity from renewable sources within seven years will boost the economy by £4.5 billion.
Industry body RenewableNI said the shift away from fossil fuels will also reduce climate change and result in a reduction in the price consumers pay for energy.
The organisation, which represents companies involved in Northern Ireland’s renewable sector, was reacting to the Department for the Economy’s just published consultation on the Draft Offshore Renewable Energy Action Plan (OREAP).
It sets out the the direction for planning, licensing, consenting and the development of offshore renewable energy in the province and indicates lays out a plan to generate one gigawatt of electricity from renewable sources from 2030.
“The draft OREAP is a clear signal of intent by the Department to create the right conditions for our sector to generate one gigawatt of offshore wind energy, enough to power more than a quarter of Northern Ireland’s electricity demand,” Steven Agnew, Director of RenewableNI, said. However, Mr Agnew said his members are working toward producing 80% of demand from renewable sources within that timeframe.
He said such a move would allow the province to become close to self-sufficient in energy needs.
“Generating electricity and relying less on imported power is now an urgent priority for our economy as world instability continues to threaten progress,” he said. “We in Northern Ireland and Ireland are at the periphery of the major international networks and we are now facing a golden opportunity to not only become more self-sufficient but potentially to become a net exporter of energy.”
A number of offshore projects for wind turbines in the Irish Sea connecting to the Northern Ireland grid are already beginning the process of environmental impact assessments, natural habitat studies and consultations with coastal communities and fishing organisations.
“The ambition to achieve 1GW of offshore wind from 2030 is very welcome. It requires all of us in the sector to work in harmony and I believe the will is there among the policy community and the investors to make this happen.”
