Assured Asset Energy Ltd (AAE) has launched a new £27 million fund to finance up to 30 new on-farm renewable energy projects and create 180 construction jobs in Northern Ireland. The new plants will generate clean renewable energy for up to 5,000 homes across the region.

The plants will process up to 450,000 tonnes of farm waste annually to produce biogas and generate up to 8.5MW of green electricity for connection and sale onto the Northern Ireland grid – enough to power up to 5,000 homes.

It will bring the region in line with England and Wales, where there are almost 100 Anaerobic Digestion plants, compared with just eight in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the launch event at the Stormont Hotel, Belfast, Director at Assured Asset Energy Ltd Alex Colombini said: “We’re very excited to be launching this fund that will be of great benefit to local farmers and will help Northern Ireland reduce its carbon footprint. We encourage farmers who have the capacity to take advantage of the opportunity.”