Record year for Northern Ireland wind energy sector

Northern Ireland hit record highs for wind power production last year, new figures show. The highest level ever recorded was on 17th December at 18:30 GMT, which saw 506MW of […]

Northern Ireland hit record highs for wind power production last year, new figures show.

The highest level ever recorded was on 17th December at 18:30 GMT, which saw 506MW of electricity generated and represented 36% of the total electricity need at the time.

The Northern Ireland Renewables Industry Group (NIRIG) said the “significant milestone” was the first time wind energy broke through the 500MW capacity.

Gary Connolly, Outgoing Chairman of NIRIG said: “Throughout December, wind energy regularly contributed upwards of 40% of Northern Ireland electricity demand.

“These record-breaking levels were facilitated by an additional 59.8MW of wind energy being connected to the electricity grid in 2013, bringing our total installed wind farm capacity to 531.4MW, which equates to 345,410 homes being powered.”

The nation has set a target to generate 40% of its electricity usage from renewable sources by 2020. Around 750 people are currently employed in the wind, wave and tidal sectors In Northern Ireland.

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