Finian McGrath
Question:125. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on proposals regarding employment in clean energy generation (details supplied). [6137/13]
View answerWednesday, 6 February 2013
Questions (125)
Written answers
A 2009 report entitled “Jobs and Investment in Irish Wind Energy” undertaken by Deloitte and commissioned by the Irish Wind Energy Association noted that their analysis has shown that the wind energy sector can support 1.5 jobs per MW to be installed on the island. Further employment opportunities may arise to the extent that turbine components can be manufactured in Ireland.
The Memorandum of Understanding on energy cooperation that UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Edward Davey and I signed on 24 January is a signal of political intent and an agreement on a programme of work to be undertaken in the coming year to determine whether it is mutually beneficial for both countries to enter into an Inter-Governmental agreement under the Renewable Energy Directive to provide for renewable energy trading.
If an Inter-Governmental Agreement is entered into, additional employment opportunities could arise if turbines or components were to be manufactured in Ireland. All relevant State agencies, particularly in the enterprise area, would have to co-ordinate their activities early in the process to ensure the employment potential of export projects could be maximised. This opportunity has already been identified by the Industrial Development Authority and Enterprise Ireland in their clean technology growth strategies.