Creating a Green Economy in Northern Ireland: Turning Weaknesses into Strengths in Rural Communities
At Steer Economic Development, our strategic approach is deeply rooted in evidence-based practices and co-production with local partners. This ensures that our work is relevant, draws on local expertise, and fosters ownership among stakeholders who will implement our recommendations.
How we helped
In a recent project in Northern Ireland, we explored the feasibility of a Zero Carbon Cooperative (ZCC) in the Borough of Mid and East Antrim. This initiative, commissioned by Queen’s University Belfast and funded by the UK Government’s Department for Levelling Up, aimed to unite the manufacturing, extractive, and agri-food sectors to address net zero and circular economy challenges in the region.
Utilising existing resources
Rural areas like Mid and East Antrim face unique challenges such as low population density, higher infrastructure costs, and high levels of land-based activity. However, these areas also present unique opportunities for low-carbon and sustainability transitions, particularly due to the availability of land and proximity to renewable resources and agricultural waste streams.
Mid and East Antrim’s economy is largely agricultural, with over 1,800 farms and a substantial manufacturing sector contributing to 25% of economic output. This economic structure presents challenges to achieving net zero due to high emissions from agriculture and manufacturing, as well as energy-inefficient housing stock.
Turning challenges into opportunities
A core aspect of net zero transition is shifting from a linear to a circular economy, which focuses on restoring and regenerating resources. The UK Government’s Net Zero Strategy highlights the importance of energy and resource efficiency through industrial symbiosis and circular economy approaches. Northern Ireland, with only 7.9% of its economy currently circular, has significant potential to leverage these approaches.
Bringing together Mid and East Antrim’s agri-food, extractive, and manufacturing sectors offers opportunities to create a closed-loop system that maximizes the value of products, materials, and natural resources. Our study identified key energy vectors—biogas and hydrogen—as central to this transition.
Biogas and hydrogen potential
Significant biogas can be produced from agricultural waste through anaerobic digestion plants. Our feasibility study estimated that 35 large anaerobic digestors could produce 290 GWh of biomethane annually from dairy farm waste alone, aligning with the region's non-domestic gas consumption.
Hydrogen production from wind energy, currently wasted due to dispatch down, presents another opportunity. (Dispatch down occurs when electricity generation from wind has to be stopped due to electricity grid constraints.) By utilizing local capabilities such as the HytechNI project – a collaboration between Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University and Mid and East Antrim to support the development of Northern Ireland’s hydrogen economy, and existing OEMs like Wrightbus, Mid and East Antrim could produce 0.5 PJs of green hydrogen by 2030, positioning the area as a major energy storage hub.
Action plan
In order to achieve the above, we developed a four-year action plan to enable a industry-led transition towards a green energy centre in Mid and East Antrim. The approach emphasised collaboration among local businesses, public, and third sector actors. We recommended appointing specialist facilitators to oversee the ZCC’s development, requiring secured funding over three years.
Key outcomes
Our recommendations promise significant economic benefits, including the creation of 1,000 jobs, £370 million in new gross value added, and emissions savings of 1.6 Gt CO2e over 30 years.
This initiative highlights how rural areas can turn their challenges into strengths, contributing to a greener, more sustainable economy for Northern Ireland and beyond.
For more information, please contact Dr. Victoria Johnson.
