Northern Ireland needs a “common-sense approach” to driving down energy costs and we need to keep “open minds about how we get our energy”, according to NI Conservatives’ spokesman, Mark Brotherston.
“Energy costs in Northern Ireland cause serious problems for industry and they hold us back when we’re looking to compete with the rest of the world for jobs and investment”, Mark explained. “The Executive has to be much more active and open minded when it comes to tackling issues around energy. It’s not enough to talk about tackling problems, but to stand in the way of every project which promises a possible solution.”
“At the World Economic Forum in Davos, David Cameron has been speaking about the potential of fracking to transform the UK economy. We believe that Northern Ireland could be at the forefront of a shale gas revolution and we want to see a much more positive attitude from the Assembly, which gets us on the road toward using this resource, with strict environmental safeguards. The debate needs to be based on facts, rather than scare-mongering.”
“There are other projects which use waste to create energy, like the planned energy plant at Shorts Bombardier and more of them should be encouraged. The poultry industry has been asking for years for an incinerator to use its waste to create electricity. Surely it must be possible to find a suitable site?”
“The Executive should be clear about how it plans to make sure Northern Ireland makes the most of its opportunities to create clean, affordable energy. It’s all about having a ‘can do’ attitude to the opportunities which exist to drive down energy bills for everyone. We need more projects to get the green light, rather than getting snarled up in bureaucracy and political arguments.”