Wind farms power 10,500 new jobs

The wind energy industry has the potential to attract £2 billion investment to Northern Ireland, creating more than 1,300 jobs, a new report said this week

Deloitte’s report for the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) said constructing and developing wind farms across the whole of Ireland would attract around £12.5 billion investment before 2020, with over £4 billion of this being retained in local economies.

In total, 10,500 new jobs would be created across Ireland from investment in wind power, the study found, with the majority of these in construction.

The report is the first major Ireland-wide study into wind power.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Irish energy minister Eamon Ryan said: “This report is evidence of the huge work that is being carried out to progress the development of Ireland’s wind energy sector.

“The IWEA’s assessment that wind energy can become a significant employer here in Ireland is absolutely correct.

“We have the will and the resources to achieve this.

“Already, 12% of our electricity is derived from renewables with over 1000MW of wind connected.”

Michael Flynn, of Deloitte, said one of the key themes of the report is Ireland’s potential for using wind energy to tackle climate change.

“It’s important that this potential is now fulfilled, and that the island of Ireland emerges as a leader in the wind energy sector,” Flynn said.

The Irish Government has set itself the target of delivering 40% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.