Minister welcomes new windfarm at Drumquin

Energy Minister Nigel Dodds has welcomed the opening of Northern Ireland’s latest wind farm at Lough Hill.

The six turbine development is owned by Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and has a capacity of 7.8MW which is sufficient to provide enough electricity to power 4,400 homes.

Minister Dodds said: “Renewables development is critically important for us in Northern Ireland. We are too heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels for our energy requirements and need to address this infrastructural weakness together with its consequences for our environment and for our energy supply security.”

RES is the largest single wind farm operator in Northern Ireland with over 100MW of wind capacity. Globally, it has nearly 2,000MW of operating capacity including the world’s largest (278MW) wind farm in the USA.

The Minister continued: “It is important that we overcome the obstacles to renewables development. The recently published Electrical Grid Study considers the potential for increased renewables in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It focuses on the infrastructural strengthening that would be required to accommodate an increase in renewables by 2020.”

The Minister stressed the importance of community engagement and actions to demonstrate the benefits of renewable energy. Praising RES for their local schools competition, the Minister said: “This is an investment for the future of these children and the environment. Renewable energy is high on my Department’s agenda, but it is not just the preserve of DETI. Other NI Departments have a critical role to play in helping to develop a supportive environment for the future growth of renewable energy.

“I am keen to ensure there are greater levels of cross departmental co-operation to enable the sector, and companies like RES, to play an increasingly active role in delivering cleaner, more diverse and secure energy generation in Northern Ireland.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The RES Group is a leading international renewable energy company and is part of the Sir Robert McAlpine Group, a family owned firm with over 100 years experience in the construction and engineering sector. RES has been at the forefront of the wind energy industry for more than 25 years and has played a considerable role in the development of renewable energy market in UK and abroad.
2. RES is the UK’s largest independent wind farm developer and has been the largest developer of wind farms in Northern Ireland. It developed Northern Ireland’s first wind farm (5MW at Rigged Hill) and the largest (the 26MW station at Altahullion). In total since 1994, it has developed 13 wind farms in Northern Ireland with a total capacity of around 110 MW. When Lough Hill came on stream in late 2007, it brought RES capacity above the 100MW milestone.
3. The Lough Hill development, near Drumquin in County Tyrone, is outside any local, national or international landscape, nature conservation, historical or archaeological interest. At 7.8MW, it is relatively small by current wind farm standards but its six 1.3 MW turbines will provide renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of around 4,400 homes.
4. Northern Ireland has a target of 12% for the amount of electricity consumption that is to be generated from indigenous renewable sources by 2012; currently renewables represent around 5% of consumption. There is 180 MW of installed renewable energy capacity in Northern Ireland of which 96% is wind generation. Renewable capacity of around 400MW will be required to meet the 2012 target and it is anticipated that there are sufficient projects being developed and in the planning process as will meet that target.
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