‘Energy costs must be tackled’

The group was founded by Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell, who said a strong, flourishing manufacturing sector was at the centre of the Executive’s vision for the Northern Ireland economy.

“Recent job losses have shown that there is no room for complacency when it comes to manufacturing. While we are doing well in the small to medium end, we need to ensure that large manufacturers can flourish and improve their efficiency in Northern Ireland,” the minister said.

“While the focus has been on big job losses, it should be noted that 830 jobs were added during the last quarter, bringing the total number of manufacturing jobs to over 80,000 for the first time since 2008.

“Energy remains a significant challenge for manufacturing. While costs have fallen over the last 12 to 18 months and are now at a six year low in NI, they have also fallen for our competitors so there is more to be done.”

President of AES UK and Ireland, Carla Tully recently welcomed Environment Minister Mark H Durkan to Kilroot Power Station.