Production of green energy in Northern Ireland close to 40%

Almost 39% of electricity used in Northern Ireland last year was generated from renewable sources, newly released figures show.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Jun 2019, 16:38 BST
NI's wind farms produced 83% of the Province's green energy last yearNI's wind farms produced 83% of the Province's green energy last year
NI's wind farms produced 83% of the Province's green energy last year

The 38.6% figure, for the year ending March 2019, is a slight increase on the previous year and the highest on record, the Department for the Environment said.

The NI Executive’s strategic energy framework includes a target to achieve 40% of electricity consumption from renewables by 2020.

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Wind power from Northern Ireland’s 82 wind farms provided the majority of the ‘green’ energy between April 2018 and March 2019 at 83% – slightly down on the previous year’s figure of 84.8%.

The actual volume of electricity consumed in Northern Ireland last year was approximately 7,809 Gigawatt hours (GWh).

Of this, around 3,012 GWh was generated from renewable sources operating within Northern Ireland.

Separate statistics show that there has been a significant reduction in the number of renewable energy installations in the planning system waiting for approval.

This downward trend has been attributed to the ending of the system of support payments in 2016. A replacement system will not be considered until a new minister is in place at Stormont.

Related topics:Northern IrelandNI ExecutiveDepartment for the Environment