Sinn Féin MLA Philip McGuigan has said the shift to renewable energy such as wind turbines is showing clear benefits for the environment.

The Sinn Féin environment spokesperson was reacting to a report from Wind Energy Ireland which showed that wind turbines are producing record amounts of renewable energy and reducing emissions.

Philip McGuigan said:

“Across the island 35% of our electricity is now coming from wind farms, in the north alone it’s closer to 40%.

“It is also preventing more than 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into our atmosphere.

“Renewable energy is undoubtedly the future of energy production here.

“While this is welcome news, we have no time to waste. We need to see the immediate restoration of the Assembly to build on the progress being made and to meet our targets to reduce emissions under the Climate Change Act.”