The executive in Northern Ireland needs to “help drive down energy costs”, according to NI Conservatives’ economy spokesman, Johnny Andrews. His comments followed a survey on the subject by the Ulster Bank.
“High energy costs are a major concern for manufacturers in Northern Ireland”, Johnny explained. “In the United States the price of fuels has fallen dramatically, mainly due to fracking shale oil and gas. The result is that customers in the EU are now paying twice as much for electricity and Northern Ireland is the second most expensive electricity market in the EU. That’s a major disadvantage whenever we’re competing with the rest of the world to attract investment and create jobs. There is a real risk that exporters will leave, in order to be more competitive.”
“Clearly this is one of the biggest economic challenges for Northern Ireland and the executive must get behind schemes to drive down energy costs. There are some good projects out there, for instance the incinerator at Bombardier and the proposed solar farm in south Down, but we can do more. The poultry industry has been asking for a waste incinerator for many years and it must be possible to find a suitable site. Too many projects have been halted by bureaucracy and planning regulations.”
“The key is innovation and a can-do attitude, where energy creating schemes are concerned. That means showing some imagination about what is possible, encouraging private projects, through the planning system and with grant support and keeping an open mind on energy sources like fracking, rather than simply shutting down the debate. We need more projects to get the green light, rather than becoming snarled up in bureaucracy and political arguments.”