LEDs come to Northern Ireland street lights

£8m will be invested this financial year in new LED street lights across Northern Ireland.

Speaking on a site visit to East Belfast to see the completion of a recent scheme on the Castlereagh Road, Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon (pictured), said:

“Investing in our street lighting programme is very important for me as street lights improve the safety of an area, help tackle anti-social behaviour and are crucial in ensuring those driving, cycling, wheeling and walking can do so safely after dark.

“Upgrading this infrastructure to LED is also much more energy efficient as well as being environmentally friendly. I am delighted that all of the energy used to power the street lights the Department is responsible for is now generated from 100 per cent renewable sources. Up to 1 April 2021, approximately 112,000 new LED units have been installed, representing 39 per cent of the Department’s total stock of 288,959 lights. This has resulted in a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 24 per cent.

This £8m investment will allow the replacement of approximately 30,000 sodium street lights this year with energy efficient LED units, which represents a further 10 per cent of the lighting network and will deliver a further reduction in energy consumption of approximately 8 per cent, bringing the current total of savings to over 30 per cent.

“If anyone was in any doubt, the IPCC Report from the United Nations is a stark wakeup call on the need for urgent action across the board to tackle the climate crisis, Mallon added. “This investment…is about helping us to become more sustainable and to lessen our impact on the environment. I am committed to doing what I can to protect our planet and to seize this crucial chance for change.”