Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is preparing its response to a public consultation on a new energy strategy for Northern Ireland.
The Department for the Economy has begun the process of developing a new energy strategy to decarbonise the Northern Ireland energy sector by 2050 and the consultation is seeking points of view on the potential options for achieving net zero carbon and affordable energy.
It focuses on the vital role that both domestic and business consumers, alongside the energy industry, play in working towards the elimination of carbon emissions from Northern Ireland’s energy use.
Commenting, Chair of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Energy Working Group, Alderman Billy Ashe MBE said: “As a council, we welcome the launch of the public consultation on a new energy strategy for Northern Ireland.
“Mid and East Antrim are at the leading edge of innovation and investment for energy production. The proposed development of a new energy park at the Kilroot site has the potential to generate up to 440MW of lower carbon and renewable energy, which is enough to power 500,000 homes.
“It would also safeguard hundreds of jobs and mark a historic milestone in the decarbonisation of electricity generation in Northern Ireland.
“We have been given the opportunity to feed in our views on a number of draft policy options that will support how we adapt to necessary changes within our day-to-day lifestyles, in the home, the workplace and in how we choose to travel.
“We all have a role to play in tackling climate change and I would encourage everyone to take part in this consultation.”
The ‘Energy Strategy for Northern Ireland – consultation on policy options’ was launched by Economy Minister, Diane Dodds, on 31 March 2021 and will close on 30 June 2021.
The Northern Ireland Executive will use the responses to set future policies that will attempt to deliver huge reductions in carbon emissions, with a new energy strategy being published by the end of 2021.
