Rachel Woods MLA has commented on new figures which reveal a that the proportion of electricity in Northern Ireland coming from renewables has dropped in the last year. For the 12-month period October 2020 to September 2021, 42.1% of total electricity consumption in Northern Ireland was generated from renewable sources located here. This represents a decrease of 5.5 percentage points on the previous year.
The Green Party NI MLA for North Down said: “It’s deeply concerning that the proportion of electricity generated by renewables has fallen compared to last year. It’s clear that the five-party Executive is not currently doing enough to cut our emissions.
“I understand that this drop is in part due to a reduction in wind generation, which is evidence of the need to have a more diverse electricity network, incorporating more solar, tidal and other forms of renewables.
“Northern Ireland has the highest per-capita emissions of anywhere in the UK and Ireland, yet the Executive has still not ruled out increasing our emissions further by still not putting a moratorium on onshore petroleum licensing and drilling, as one example. We still have no Energy Strategy for Northern Ireland either. If the Executive parties want to be taken seriously on climate issues, they must have an ambitious, sustainable Energy Strategy, and increase investment in renewables.
“Increased renewable electricity production will not only help us play our part in tackling the climate emergency, but it will boost the economy, creating well-paid and secure green jobs.
“The cross-party Climate Change Bill currently progressing through the Assembly will provide the legislative framework for the climate action the Executive needs to take.”
ENDS
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