N Ireland needs onshore certainty

Politicians in Northern Ireland must deliver policy certainty to the onshore wind industry in order to secure continued investment in the province.

Northern Ireland Renewable Industry Group (NIRIG) chair Rachel Anderson will tell its annual conference today that clarity is needed from Stormont.

“The challenge for policy makers and the industry is to move to ensure that Northern Ireland’s wind energy resource can continue to act as a catalyst for jobs and investment for the future, while also cutting harmful emissions,” Anderson will tell delegates.

“With one-quarter of investment being felt within the local Council areas where developments are located…we need to ensure that short-term concerns do not destroy the long-term viability of a secure, sustainable and affordable energy supply.”

Much of the North’s onshore wind industry has been in limbo after Belfast announced last September that it would fall into line with London by closing its Renewables Obligation scheme a year early in 2017.

According to figures compiled exclusively by reNEWS, almost 200MW of consented wind and a further 750MW of projects in planning may be stranded following the decision. Belfast is yet to announce whether it plans to introduce a successor to the NIRO.

According to NIRIG, wind energy represented a fifth of Northern Ireland’s total electricity generation in 2015 with a new 583MW record hit on June 1.

“We are committed to ensuring that benefits continue to flow into the local economy,” Anderson will say.

“Today more than ever, you can stand at the base of a turbine in Northern Ireland, and be confident that significant investment flows back into the regional economy.

“It is vital for the future prosperity of Northern Ireland that renewables, particularly onshore wind continues to flourish from now to 2020 and beyond.”

Image: Morgue File