Around half of all electricity consumption in Northern Ireland last year was produced from renewable sources, according to latest government data.
The Department of Education said 48.5% of total electricity consumption in the 12 months of the end of March was renewable, a jump of 4.6% on the previous 12-month period. For the full calendar year 2022 renewable energy consumption climbed to 51%.
The achievement has been hailed as a milestone and proof that Northern Ireland is a leader in the transition to renewable energy.
However, the group representing companies generating renewable energy in Northern Ireland said much more needs to be done if the province is to meet the commitments set out the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy ‘Path to Net Zero Energy’ and the Climate Change Act target. The latter sets out a pledge to ensure that at least 80% of electricity consumption is from renewable sources by 2030.
Steven Agnew, Head of Renewable NI, said the planning system for new renewable projects continue to act as a limiter on the province’s road to net zero carbon.
“While this still puts Northern Ireland among world leaders, we can very quickly become laggers if there isn’t a radical change to our planning system. We are powering the energy revolution on the efforts of the previous decade.”
The figures, released by the Department for the Economy, revealed that wind provides the majority of Northern Ireland’s renewable energy, accounting for 84.7% for the year to the end of March.
In terms of the volume of electricity consumption between April 2022 and March 2023, some 7,471 gigawatt hours (GWh) of total electricity was consumed in Northern Ireland. Over the same period, some 3,620 GWh was generated from renewable sources located in Northern Ireland.
Steven Agnew called for more action if the 2030 target is to be met.
“We have a legal requirement to achieve 80% renewable electricity by 2030. We need to meet the demands of electrification of heat and transportation. Current timelines mean we won’t meet those targets.
“They are possible, to reduce the climate change impact they are essential. But we need to achieve it.”
