AQW 16964/17-22 Written question to the Minister for the Economy
To ask the Minister for the Economy for her assessment of the environmental impact of coal power stations.
Asked by John Blair MLA on 26 March 2021
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 26 March 2021
- Answer due by
- 14 April 2021
- Answered
- 19 April 202124 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for the Economy
- Priority question
- No
Answer
Fuel Mix Disclosure and CO2 Emissions reports, supplied by the Utility Regulator, shows that there has been significant inroads in the reduction of coal as a source of power generation. Coal in the all-island fuel mix has reduced from 16% in 2010 to 2.6% in the most recent report in 2019.
Kilroot is the only EU ETS electricity generator in NI that continues to use coal as a fuel. The 2019 annual emission report, produced by DAERA, states that Kilroot emitted 1,010,033.348 tCO2 of which 968,049.345 tCO2 were from coal. Kilroot will be converted to a gas-powered station in 2023 which will mean that coal will be reduced to zero in the subsequent Fuel Mix Disclosure and CO2 Emissions reports.