Irish Minister and Secretary Welcome Next Stage of Wind and Tidal Energy Development

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr. Eamon Gilmore T.D. and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr. Owen Paterson M.P., today welcomed the announcement of the next stage of offshore wind and tidal energy development off the coast of Northern Ireland.

This was made possible by the recent Memorandum of Understanding agreed by the Irish and British Governments, with the support of the Northern Ireland Executive, which provides clarity to potential investors on marine jurisdictional issues.

Welcoming the news, the Secretary of State said:

“The Memorandum of Understanding reached by the two Governments with the support of the Northern Ireland Executive paves the way for the development of wind and tidal energy off the coast of Northern Ireland, which will bring significant economic and environmental benefits to Northern Ireland”.

 The Tánaiste remarked: “This once again demonstrates the economic benefits that close co-operation between the two Governments and the Executive can bring to this island.”

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Source: dfa, December 20, 2011