Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Part of Oral Answers to Questions – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:00 pm on 19 March 2013.

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Photo of Arlene Foster Arlene Foster DUP 2:00, 19 March 2013

The important thing for us, first, is to look at our own piece in order to work out what we see as the broader energy framework going forward to 2050.  We have had four consultation sessions to try to inform us about the development of the vision.  That will certainly set the direction of travel for us, but it will be difficult to set any concrete targets further than 2020.  Fifty years is a long time, although it is 37 now, but we need to recognise that there will be changes in technology.  If we looked forward from 1976, would we have been able to foresee all the new technologies that are available to us now?  We have to factor that in to any vision that we have for 2050, and we also have to look at our carbon reduction targets, which have been set, to make sure that our vision for energy policy sits with them. 

The work has begun, and we will certainly be looking at other areas to see whether we can learn or, indeed, work together on anything.  I think that the key element for us is to make sure that we have our own vision for 2050.