Northern Ireland will struggle to attract investment or meet its renewable electricity 2030 target without significant reform, according to a new report by RenewableNI.
Accelerating Renewables in Northern Ireland focuses on grid, planning and market issues, which were identified as key failures by the industry.
The report was researched and written by KMPG, led by head of sustainable futures Russell Smyth, featuring input from across the Northern Ireland renewables eco-system.
The study found grid capacity is a primary concern for both new and operational assets and that an NI renewable electricity support scheme is vital to reinvigorate the market and reverse renewables development decline.
It also found planning timelines are highly uncompetitive, with a lack of clarity on planning decision timelines, which is cited as a major barrier by renewable developers.
Director of RenewableNI Steven Agnew (pictured) said: “In 2016 400MW of new renewables were deployed in Northern Ireland.
“Since then, we have seen a huge drop off with only 70MW brought online in the last four years.
“NI has been without a support scheme since the closure of NIRO in 2017. It is clear to see that a lack of support is having a major impact on development here.
“To put this into context last year ROI developed 20 times the amount of new renewable electricity generation.
“They benefit from a support scheme, shorter planning timelines and a government committed to climate action.”