There's good news in the air this week with the announcement that the construction of a wind farm in Co Tyrone will create up to 20 building jobs.

Gaelectric, the Irish renewable energy group, has announced it has received planning approval for the 15 Megawatt (MW) farm at Inishative near Pomeroy.

The company said it will be capable of generating enough energy to meet the average annual electricity consumption of about 8,000 homes with an investment of £22m.

It will feature six wind turbines with a maximum height of 64 metres and a maximum blade diameter of 71 metres.

Gaelectric has previously gained planning approval for two other wind farms, a 15MW one in Carn Hill, Newtownabbey, and a 12.5 one in Cregganconroe, Pomeroy.

Gaelectric now has a total of 42.5 MW of consented projects in Northern Ireland.

Making this announcement, Brendan McGrath, Chief Executive Oficer of Gaelectric, said: "At a time when the economic horizon is uncertain, it is vital that the political and public sectors do all in their power to ensure that economic opportunities are harnessed and dealt with expeditiously.

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"Government policy needs to give further weight and importance to economic considerations and the opportunities for economic development that wind power developments present.

"In these straightened times we do not have the luxury of behaving as if we live in an ideal world where every risk and threat can be perfectly balanced. A focused and proactive approach to economic opportunities is needed to steer the economy - North and South - on a sustainable growth path."

He continued: "We have been progressing a number of wind farm sites in Tyrone and Antrim through the planning approval process for a number of years, which have required us to work closely with the NI Executive and planning authorities in Northern Ireland.

"These authorities recognise the importance of renewable power generation in a sustainable energy future and we are seeing well-prepared, viable projects successfully securing planning approval," he noted.

"The Inishative approval is a further important demonstration of policy makers, planners and energy companies working together to harness renewable resources, and an important further step for Gaelectric," he added.

Gaelectric completed an extensive consultation programme to update local communities on the Inishative proposal.

A locally administered community fund amounting to £250,000 will be set up to support community projects.

Gaelectric has also committed to spending up to £4.5m in project costs on construction and operations with local companies.

(BMcC/GK)