Element Power, the company behind the €8 billion Greenwire wind energy export project which intends to export 3,000 megawatts of clean green electricity to the UK from Ireland by 2018, is calling on the Irish and UK governments to accelerate the policy required to unlock the potential for the project to deliver thousands of jobs.

Some 10,000 of these jobs will be created during the three-year construction phase with the potential to create up to 3,000 long-term positions in servicing and maintaining its wind farms in the Midlands of Ireland. Greenwire has made significant progress since its launch last year with firm grid connection secured to supply UK National Grid, more than the required land option agreements to render the project viable and environmental studies commenced as part of the process to submit a planning application by the end of this year.

Commenting on the recent progress made by Greenwire, CEO of Element Power Ireland, Tim Cowhig said: "At a time when the Taoiseach and his Cabinet are exploring all realistic possibilities of creating employment, we feel it is particularly pertinent that the scale of job creation potential of renewable energy is factored into any forecasts. Greenwire will be delivered at zero cost to the Irish taxpayer and can create much needed employment as well as developing an industry which has the potential to be as substantial as the Irish beef industry as it matures. We have met with senior policy makers, all of whom have been very positively disposed to our plans.

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"There is also scope to provide a huge taxation revenue for the Irish exchequer from this project as well as a contribution of €50million annually in rental and rate payments to landowners and local authorities across the Midlands," concluded Mr Cowhig.

In 2011, the UK onshore wind sector supported more than 8,600 jobs through an installed capacity of approximately 5,300 megawatts contributing more than £500 million to the British economy. There could be around 11,600 direct and supply chain jobs by 2020 rising to around 15,500 total jobs if wider quantifiable impacts are taken into account. Presently in Ireland, approximately 2,000 people work in the onshore wind industry sector servicing an installed capacity of over 2,000 megawatts. A European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) Wind at Work study of 2009 concluded that around 15 jobs are maintained for every megawatt installed in the EU. Most of these jobs are in the manufacturing and supply chains and whilst there is currently no fabrication of turbines in Ireland or the UK, the scale of the development pipelines in both jurisdictions will inevitably attract manufacturing capability.

(CD/GK)