As Britain and the Republic of Ireland record renewable highs, Northern Ireland has gone from leaders to laggards when it comes to renewable energy.

The comments came from industry body RenewableNI, on the back of the latest Department for the Economy renewable electricity generation figures – showing a reduction from the previous year.

The figures, produced quarterly based on the previous 12-month period, show renewable generation accounted for 45.8% of NI’s electricity use, ending in June 2024.

This is a drop of over 5 per cent since the record 51% in the calendar year 2022, when 3,825 GW was generated from renewable sources in Northern Ireland.

Unattractive

A lack of market support, uncertainty on planning timelines, and high levels of dispatch down mean Northern Ireland is currently seen as an unattractive place for renewable investment, according to the body.

Steven Agnew, RenewableNI Director, said: “These figures will show slight changes every quarter due to changes in the weather – they should be increasing as we invest in renewables. Unfortunately, few new projects are being developed.”

“The current renewable generation figure of 45.8% being produced 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,” he said.

Climate Act

“The Climate Act set a legal obligation to have 80% by 2030, which means we need to more than double the generation to meet the increased demand as we electrify heat and transport,” Agnew said.

“The warning from the two previous quarter drops wasn’t heeded by policymakers. It is essential that the third time, 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,” he continued.

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