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NI looks to develop offshore power

05 December 2008

Northern Ireland's sea waters are to be assessed to establish issues that must be considered when commissioning renewable energy projects.

The government, which is eager to increase the amount of energy it gets from renewable sources, has appointed Faber Maunsell to carry out the Strategic Environmental Assessment.

Energy minister Arlene Foster said: "Increasing the contribution of renewables in our energy mix is an imperative for Northern Ireland.

"To date, onshore wind has provided us with most of our renewable electricity but we must now seek to develop more of our natural assets, as we look to the future."

Currently Northern Ireland has committed to meeting 12 per cent of its electricity consumption from indigenous renewable resources by 2012, of which 15 per cent must be non-wind.

According to analyst Frost & Sullivan, the UK is the global leader in marine energy and has around half of Europe's wave energy potential.