The economic contribution the development of wind energy can make to local communities, and the savings to be made from moving away from unsustainable and insecure fossil fuel imports will be the themes of an Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) conference in Dublin this week.

IWEA chief executive Kenneth Matthews said developments in Ukraine highlighted Europe and Ireland's dependency on foreign, imported gas and oil, adding that Ireland is among the most energy dependent countries in the EU.

“According to figures recently published by the EU statistics agency Eurostat, Ireland ranks in the bottom four of the most energy-dependent countries in the EU28, trailing only behind Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus, countries that have little indigenous energy sources. In contrast wind energy powerhouse Denmark is the EU’s only net exporter of energy,” he said.

Wind power could widen the pipeline for foreign direct investment into Ireland and reduce reliance on costly fossil fuel imports, he says.

IDA Ireland chief executive Barry O'Leary will be among the keynote speakers and will highlight how renewable energy sources can make Ireland a more attractive location for FDI, through a decreased import dependency, a more secure energy supply and greater price stability.

Other speakers at the conference will include Eirgrid chief executive Fintan Slye, Element Power chief executive Tim Cowhig and president of GE UK & Ireland Mark Elborne.