The Northern Ireland Renewables Industry Group (NIRIG) has published an energy strategy to decarbonise the energy sector by 2050.

The group said Northern Ireland’s current Strategic Energy Framework has achieved rapid growth in  low-carbon electricity and the signs point to reaching a target of 40% renewable electricity by 2020 on time. However, it said a longer term strategy was needed, taking account of rapid advancements in technology such as energy storage, and an increased demand for the electrification of heat and transport – including electric vehicles. 

It said, “The network needs to be modernised with smart, flexible and grid-friendly technologies and this needs a step-change in how we view energy regulation, demand and management.”

The strategy document calls for a target to decarbonise  Northern Ireland’s energy sector by 2050 and NIRIG is  commissioning research into the creation of a 70% target for renewable electricity by 2030 as a stepping stone. But the group added that a review of the impact of Brexit on energy policy was needed urgently.

NIRIG chair Rachel Anderson said: “There’s an urgent need to plan for the post-2020 world in which clean energy will be an engine for economic growth.

“We now need a fundamental shift in how we generate, manage and consume energy. The transformation of the energy sector is happening today, and our industry is at the forefront of this transformation. The renewables sector wants to contribute, but we can’t do it alone – leadership and collaboration will be crucial for success. That’s why we’ve laid out a series of ambitious and far-reaching measures in this Energy Strategy”.