www.investni.com

Sustainable Energy opportunities in Northern Ireland.

Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI) is the economic development agency for Northern Ireland. Our aim is to increase business productivity, the means by which wealth can be created for the benefit of the whole community. We will achieve this by working with manufacturing and tradeable services businesses in Northern Ireland that have the potential and ambition to export, improve productivity and become more competitive. We also aim to attract high quality inward investment particularly in the sustainable energy sector.

Why Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland is a flexible and open economy. Over 700 foreign investors and a multitude of investors from the rest of the UK have chosen to locate here. The country has hi-tech expertise, industrial ingenuity and a great lifestyle to offer, making it one of the most attractive inward investment locations in Europe.

Sustainable development provides a major contribution to greater wealth and economic growth, bringing both opportunities and challenges for local businesses. As sustainable energy sources such as wind turbines, biomass and anaerobic digestion (AD) have become increasingly suitable for wide-scale use, businesses in Northern Ireland have been quick to take advantage of the opportunities.

Northern Ireland offers an excellent logistics base for offshore wind-farm projects with many businesses boasting extensive marine design and construction experience, allowing the rapid development of novel tide and wave power generators. Their capability has been advanced, in part, by the facilities in the Port of Belfast, which includes deepwater not restricted by tides, an excellent permanent, heavy-lift capability, a vast hard standing site and a 24 hour, 7 days a week operation with skilled tradesmen for manufacture and assembly.

Northern Ireland also has extensive engineering supply chains including the manufacture and refurbishment of wind turbine gearboxes and all ancillary items, as well as the world’s leading wind farm operation and maintenance company, B9 Energy, the first in the world to achieve environmental accreditation ISO 14001.

Our businesses invest heavily in new product development, which is backed by some of the most active academic research bodies in the UK, particularly in the fields of power engineering including modelling; operation and control of power plant; power systems; the development of wind and wave energy systems; electrical machine design and control; heat pumps and low carbon building products.

Our internationally renowned universities have been instrumental in the advancement of the region’s technology and knowledge industries. Queen’s University, Belfast and the University of Ulster have globally-recognised research centres across a range of disciplines, with a strong track record of commercialisation of research and in spinning-off successful business ventures. A recent example of a successful collaboration between business and academia is the installation of the first commercial scale tidal stream turbine in the world at Strangford Lough, County Down.

Northern Ireland is leading the way in 3rd generation AD technology with local businesses actively installing and managing infrastructure to develop, build and operate enhanced AD waste treatment plants, as well as develop systems to clean and compress landfill gas or biogas for use as vehicle fuel. Such commercial projects are complemented by dedicated research undertaken by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) on potential new near-market applications.

Northern Ireland recognises the importance of the biomass industry, which is why we have the largest wood pellet mill in the UK and the expertise to design projects on multiple scales using wood chip, wood pellets, and waste wood. We are also leaders in the design and manufacturing of advanced vacuum solar thermal systems, an acknowledged breakthrough in the solar industry.

Benefits of Investing in Northern Ireland

Competitive Operating Costs - Northern Ireland’s operating costs are highly competitive and significantly lower than the rest of the UK and Europe.

Advanced Telecommunications Infrastructure - Northern Ireland was the first region in Europe to have 100 per cent access to broadband and offers a resilient, digital network providing high-speed voice and data connections throughout the world. We will also be the first region in the UK to have completed 21CN migration enabling communications in a range of formats across an IP-based network.

Sector Strengths - Northern Ireland boasts world-class companies in the aerospace, engineering and life sciences sectors with its knowledge-based sectors accounting for the majority of all foreign direct investment into the region. Belfast was recently ranked as the top location in the British Isles for customer call and contact-centre based activities.

Accessibility to Europe - Northern Ireland provides a competitive near-shore proposition to Europe, with the advantage of operating in the same time zone, regulatory environment and similar culture to the UK. As part of the European Union, companies located in Northern Ireland can take advantage of tariff-free access to the world’s largest consumer market of over 400 million people.

Strong and Dynamic Economy - The Northern Ireland labour market continues to perform well, with 795,000 currently in employment and the lowest unemployment rate of the UK regions at 3.9 per cent.

Generous Financial Assistance and Support - Invest NI offers a highly attractive and competitive package of financial incentives, recruitment and training, research and development and other development support tailored to each company’s needs. As the economic development agency for Northern Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland works in partnership with key stakeholders and investors to ensure all the necessary support is given throughout the lifetime of a commercial venture to develop and expand the business and to improve capability and international competitiveness.

For more information or to make an enquiry about sustainable development opportunities in Northern Ireland contact Invest NI’s Sustainable Development Team on sustainabledev@investni.com or +44 (0)2890 698 868.

For more information, please visit www.investni.com

 

Click here to obtain a copy of RENEWABLE ENERGY 2010