'Majority in favour of windfarms'

Turbines "have proved to be very reliable"

Nine out of 10 people in Northern Ireland are in favour of wind farms, according to a new survey.

It suggested almost 90% of those questioned agreed the renewable form of energy was the way forward.

The survey was conducted by a local market research group which questioned 500 people.

More than half felt wind farms were not a blot on the landscape. However, many have opposed proposed windfarms off the Northern Ireland coast.

The survey results are to be unveiled at the Northern Ireland launch of Embrace the Revolution by the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA).

It found two-thirds of people (66%) agreed they would be happy to have a wind farm in their local area.

The figure was 73% in the west of Northern Ireland.

Produce energy

Dr Andy McCrea, director of Action Renewables, said it was greatly encouraged by the findings.

"It reinforces our own view that the majority of people in Northern Ireland are in favour of wind turbines," he said.

"We completely welcome the installation of wind farms in the most suitable locations with the support of local communities."

David Surplus of B9 Energy, which operates wind farms in Northern Ireland, said turbines had proved to be very reliable and were generally available to produce energy 98% of the year.

"The electricity generation figures have been very impressive too, with a typical NI wind turbine producing nearly double the output of an identical machine located in Germany, due to the province's superior wind speeds," he said.