Business

Has the wind stopped blowing on power generation?

As GB and RoI hit renewable highs, north ‘has gone from leaders to laggards’, with few new projects being developed

The increased importance of wind and solar power will require people to use energy differently (Tom Leese/PA)
Some 45.8% of power generation in the north comes from renewable sources, primarily wind, but the overall figure is down from the record 51% in the 2022 calendar year
By Gary McDonald

The amount of electricity in Northern Ireland generated by renewable sources has fallen by 5% in the last two years, new figures show.

It comes at a time when green power in the Britain and the Republic has hit record highs, and with the clock counting down towards 2023, when the Climate Change Act target is to ensure that at least 80% of electricity consumption is from renewable sources.

And the numbers have prompted renewables chief Steven Agnew to admit that Northern Ireland “has gone from leaders to laggards” and is the region has become an unattractive place for renewable investment.

Steven Agnew
Steven Agnew, director of RenewableNI

The electricity consumption and renewable generation report from the Department for the Economy shows that in the year to June, 7,244 gigawatt hours (GWh) of total electricity was consumed in the north.

Some 3,319 GWh of this (45.8%) came from renewable sources located within the region, overwhelmingly from wind (82.3%), followed by biogas (6.6%), biomass (4.9%), solar panels (3.8%), landfill gas (1.5%) and other sources (0.9%).

That 45.8% figure represents an increase of 0.3% on the previous 12 month period, but is down from the record 51% in the 2022 calendar year, when 3,825 GWh was generated from renewable sources locally.

RenewableNI Director Steven Agnew said the figures were disappointing, and that a lack of market support, uncertainty on planning time-lines and high levels of dispatch down, means the north is currently seen as an unattractive place for renewable investment.

He added: “These figures will show slight changes every quarter due to changes in the weather – but they should be increasing as we invest in renewables. Unfortunately, few new projects are being developed.

“The current renewable generation figure of 45.8% is based largely on the development that took place under the old ROCs scheme. In its last year, 400MW of renewables were connected. This decade only four new wind farms have become operational– a combined total of only 108MW.”

“To reach our 2030 target, we need to more than double the generation to meet the increased demand as we electrify heat and transport.

“The warning from the two previous quarterly drops wasn’t heeded by policy-makers. It is essential that the third time, the vital action is taken.

“The target can still be met, but we need urgent policy action to deliver the pipeline of projects. These statistics prove business as usual is falling well short.

“We have an Executive in place, but now they need to work together to benefit the Northern Ireland consumer and environment.”