Wind energy worth ‘30,000 jobs and €18bn to State’

Ireland should aim to supply the rest of Europe, especially Britain, with wind energy, which has the potential to create 30,000 jobs here, a leading figure in the industry urged yesterday.

Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) chief executive Kenneth Matthews also called for joined-up thinking between Government and enterprise to deliver the economic potential of wind energy. Upwards of 2,000 people now work in the fast-growing sector.

“For the first time, being at the edge of Europe gives us an advantage. Our ambition should be to provide Europe with wind energy,” Mr Matthews said.

Speaking at the launch of a new IWEA policy paper at a conference in Killarney, he said renewable energy exporting was a significant national opportunity that needed to be seized. He said the policy paper would help the Government ensure the framework was correct to realise this potential.

Mr Matthews said government policy to facilitate 4GW (gigawatts) of wind energy produced for the domestic market and 6GW for export could deliver up to 18,400 jobs by 2020.

He said renewable energy divisions are needed in the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Forfá: “If state agencies work in tandem with industry, they could attract turbine manufacturers to Ireland, as well as supplying turbines to projects here.

“An Irish base could then be used as a launch-pad into the European onshore and sizeable UK offshore market. This cooperative approach could unlock an additional 9,000-12,000 jobs, bringing the true jobs total up to 30,400 by 2020.”

The paper also calls on Government to develop a joint Irish-UK government policy. The UK needs 18GW of wind energy before 2020 and a policy should facilitate the achievement of at least 6GW of wind energy for export from Ireland. That would attract investment of more than €18bn into our economy, Mr Matthews said.

The paper also calls for a government-industry implementation group to bring together private and public stakeholders, agencies and private capital.

In a keynote address, Minister for Arts and Heritage Jimmy Deenihan welcomed the policy paper, saying it provided industry and the Government with a roadmap to maximising the benefits of wind energy.

Airtricity managing director Stephen Wheeler said the approach should be much more ambitious than it has been up to now: “The rest of Europe and, in particular, our closest neighbours the UK need renewable energy, Ireland, has the resources, the comparative advantage and the talent to deliver.”