Just under 46% of Northern Ireland’s electricity consumption was generated from renewable resources in the past year, according to a report.
The Electricity Consumption and Renewable Generation in Northern Ireland report has been released by the Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Agency (Nisra) and covers July 2023 to June 2024.
It shows 45.8% of electricity consumption over the period came from renewable sources, a 0.3% rise on the previous 12 months.
Northern Ireland’s net zero strategy is targeting at least 80% of electricity to be generated by renewable sources by the end of this decade.
Overall, NI consumed a total of 7,244 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity in the 12 months covered by the report, of which 3,319 GWh came from renewable energy.
Total electricity consumption has declined over the past decade in Northern Ireland. In the 12 month period ending June 2014, people here consumed 8,162 GWh.
This year’s figure represents a 11.2% decline in overall power consumption.
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The biggest renewable producer was wind power, which generated 82.3% of all renewably- sourced electricity in Northern Ireland – 2,731 GWh of electricity.
The next biggest suppliers were biogas and biomass, which produced 6.6% and 4.9% respectively. Solar power accounts for 3.8% of all renewable energy in NI.
Speaking to Business Telegraph last month, Alan Campbell, the chief executive of the System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI), said Northern Ireland is occasionally unable to use all the renewable energy it is generating.
Mr Campbell said: “There are times we can’t export all of the renewables we’d potentially be generating here in NI so we have to instruct those windfarms to turn down amount of generation they’re producing.
“It’s much more difficult for us to balance the grid on that basis. That’s money that could be saved.”
He maintained the proposed North South Interconnector will help in decarbonising NI’s power system and in integrating renewable production.
The North South Interconnector has been controversial, as it involves the construction of electricity pylons on privately-owned land.