Green energy project could bring 10 jobs

Coleraine Borough Council has been awarded over £70,000 from the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for the project called ‘Smart Grid’.

An additional £24,000 will be funded by Council.

The project will recruit around 40 local businesses to provide green energy that could be become part of a supply chain for a localised power grid.

Explaining more about the project, Maura Mann, Head of Development Services told last Tuesday night’s council meeting that the project was part of a ‘scoping exercise’ which would look at all types of renewable energy.

Richard Baker, Council’s Corporate Director of Leisure and Development Services added: “ We’re in a unique area here with geothermal resources.”

He described the project as a ‘vehicle to realise the path ahead’, and explained that Coleraine Borough Council were trying to learn from other Councils in Scotland and the Republic who have had success in the project.

DUP councillor George Duddy questioned if Council would find forty businesses to take part in the project, he added: “We all sit here in planning meetings and we are fully aware of the pitfalls with wind turbines.”

Independent councillor Christine Alexander described the project as a ‘£100,000 consultancy fee’ UUP councillor Richard Holmes proposed that the project be reviewed quarterly to establish if it was working.

This was agreed by members.