We are in the middle of a climate emergency and we need to take action. NI Water helps to support a healthy population, flourishing natural environment and a growing economy, so what are we doing to help society address the serious threat that the climate crisis poses?
- Planting 1 million trees.
- Reducing fossil fuel generated electricity.
- Doubling Northern Ireland’s renewable generating capacity.
- Opening a network of green fuel stations.
- Protecting and restoring our c.3000 hectares of peatland.
- Providing sources of warmth for district heating schemes.
For more information on our response to Climate Change, click here:
Hydrogen Economy
NI Water is playing a leading role in the decarbonisation of transport and development of clean energy by exploring the possibility of opening up a network of green fuel stations. NI Water is uniquely placed to harness its existing large electricity connections at a waste water treatment works and to use its widely distributed sites which are close to all our economic hub towns, to explore the company’s potential to decarbonise its own fleet as well as to assist other essential service providers.
For more information on Hydrogen Economy, click here:
Planting 1 million trees
NI Water’s ambition, to plant over 1 million trees over the next 10 years is underway. As the second biggest landowner in Northern Ireland, NI Water is delivering a large-scale planting programme across 11,300 hectares of land. Planting trees improves water quality, captures carbon, mitigate floods and enhances the natural environment.
For more information on our ambition to plant 1 million trees, click here:
Protecting and restoring peatlands
We are exploring areas within our landholding to restore peatlands which can provide a nature-based solution to climate change.
NI Water owns c.3000 hectares of peatland. Peatlands are nature’s carbon store and because of that, their protection and restoration is crucial in providing a nature-based solution to climate change at both a global and local level. The better condition peatlands are in, the more carbon they remove from the atmosphere and store in the peat. But if they are in bad condition, they can begin to release carbon in the form of carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
For more information on our initiative to protect and restore peatlands, click here:
Playing a pivotal role in doubling Northern Ireland’s renewable generating capacity
To provide the green power for the increasing adoption of Electric Vehicles and to start to decarbonise the heating for homes and places of work, Northern Ireland needs to double its renewable generating capacity in the next ten years. To do so effectively will require the intermittency of supply that accompanies renewables to be addressed. This can be done by deploying large scale batteries across the province. The sites selected will need to have major electricity grid connections.
For more information on doubling Northern Ireland’s renewable generating capacity
Helping to reduce Northern Ireland’s requirement for fossil fuel generated electricity by building more renewables on our land.
We can open up our sites and work with partners for more investment in solar, hydro and wind generation.
Helping the Gas Network remain relevant in a decarbonising world
Supplying green hydrogen from NI Water sites could help the gas network become greener and cleaner.
Providing sources of warmth for District Heating Schemes
Recovering heat that comes from the organic matter at a wastewater works could provide a valuable source of warmth.
