The Northern Ireland Renewables Industry Group (NIRIG) has welcomed the announcement by the Crown Estate of the first round of leasing agreements for Northern Ireland, with the agreements going to First Flight Wind, Tidal Ventures and DP Marine Energy with partner DEME Blue Energy.
This will open the way for Northern Ireland to benefit from its huge potential resources for offshore renewable technology. 600MW of offshore wind and up to 200MW tidal energy now has the potential to be harnessed and provide an increasingly sustainable and diverse energy mix for Northern Ireland. This comes after increased progress in recent years such as the DETI Offshore Renewable Energy Strategic Action Plan 2012-2020 and paves the way for further development of Northern Ireland’s significant renewable energy resources.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Gary Connolly , NIRIG Chairperson said: “This is an important day for the development of offshore renewables in Northern Ireland. With the first ever commercial scale tidal device already being located at Strangford Narrows and huge potential for offshore wind, Northern Ireland is fast becoming a major centre for offshore renewable technology. I am very pleased that this announcement gives greater clarity of the future direction and expansion of the industry.”
“Moving forward we hope to see continuing progress on the provisions that will help move us closer to the 2020 Renewable Energy targets.”
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Press release, October 11, 2012; Image: EWEA