£81m Renewable Energy Plant Approved

Funding has been secured for an £81m renewable energy power plant to be built in L'Derry.

The facility will be constructed on Londonderry Port and Harbour Commissioners land at Lisahally by Northern Ireland-based Evermore Renewable Energy.

The flagship biomass CHP plant will be the first of its kind on the island of Ireland.

It is thought that the 15-megawatt plant could increase the amount of renewable energy generated in Northern Ireland by 10%.

Construction is expected to create 200 jobs and will start in the coming weeks, with a completion date of summer 2015 expected.

Ciaran Devine, co-founder of Evermore commented: "We are making a serious commitment to the Northern Ireland energy market. Working with the best partners in technology, fuel supply and financing we hope to show that Northern Ireland is a great place to do business so that further inward investment will follow.

"These projects are extremely complex and they require the involvement of many statutory bodies and government departments and we hope this investment will show the rest of the UK how committed Northern Ireland is to supporting renewable energy development, and how competent Evermore is at bringing these elements together and financing complex structures."

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: "The Evermore plant will make an important contribution towards Northern Ireland's 2020 renewable energy targets.

"It is a wonderful example of local, national and international co-operation and I am particularly pleased to note that this is the first Northern Ireland project to secure funding from the Green Investment Bank. I congratulate all those involved in securing this significant investment for the North West."

The plant's forecast operations life is 20 years and is expected to save around 3.7m tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and produce enough electricity to supply over 25,000 homes in Northern Ireland.

(IT/CD)