Green Party Senator Mark Dearey has welcomed new regulations to control recreational activities in sensitive nature areas like along the River Boyle, in the Baltray Boyne estuary area and on Bettystown and Laytown sand dunes.
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“LOUTH CAN LEAD THE RENEWABLES SECTOR” DEAREY
Last week Minister for Energy, Communications and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan said “I have long said that Ireland can be a world leader in sustainable energy”, as he completed the launch of a package enhancing the public financial support system for renewable electricity generation. “Ireland needs to reduce our fossil fuel import bill and our dependence on imported energy sources. Renewable electricity is a critical cornerstone of Ireland’s approach to moving towards a low-carbon and robust economy. Ireland has one of the finest renewable energy resource potentials in the world. Today we are making important steps to ensure that it is tapped”.
The Scheme will provide incentives and encouragement for individuals and businesses wishing to invest in or develop power from renewable sources. It does this by providing a guaranteed price for electricity produced by new plants for 15 years. Green Party Councillor for Louth Mark Dearey whole-heartedly welcomed the scheme: "The announcement by Minister Ryan that off-shore wind energy will be supported to the value of €140 per megawatt hour is just the kind of signal the renewables sector needed to really scale up.”
“I have long argued that Louth has the potential to lead the way in the development and operation of renewable energy production. This is a welcome boost for the development of this sector and is good news for Ireland. It is also good for consumers who will benefit from having some protection from oil price rises hitting ESB bills. But it goes deeper than that – this is a further boost to the renewables sector in County Louth. It opens the way for research and development work as well as off-shore turbine development that will create high skill jobs the region could really benefit from.”
“We have developed a pool of expertise already within this region that includes DkIT, Sustainable Energy Ireland and renewables operators in the private sector who have already identified Louth as an ideal area to cluster. We should look to our neighbours in along the coast of Northern Germany and learn from their successes in creating high skilled, valuable employment and a competitive advantage for business through renewable energy production. This announcement offers great opportunities for Ireland and we in the north east must maximise the potential that it offers to our region.” concluded Dearey.