AQW 16790/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 24/03/2021
Answered On Date: 02/04/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail (i) how often reviews are carried out to ensure that Northern Ireland is meeting the objectives of the purpose of installing windfarms; (ii) in particular with regard to driving consumer costs down; and (iii) the level of savings passed on to the consumer from windfarms.

Answer:

The installation of windfarms supports the objective of increasing the percentage of electricity consumption from renewable sources. The Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation (NIRO) has been the main support mechanism for renewable electricity generation in Northern Ireland. The scheme is technology neutral and there are no objectives explicit to windfarms.

Progress towards meeting (and exceeding) the target of having 40% of electricity consumption from renewable sources has been reflected in quarterly reports on Electricity Consumption & Renewable Generation, published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

Domestic electricity prices in NI are lower than in Great Britain and Ireland, and lower than the EU median. Similarly, industrial and commercial electricity prices remain competitive and lower than in Great Britain.