Funding boost for electric vehicle charge-points in residential areas welcomed

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd and a local council consortium, led by Derry City and Strabane District Council, have welcomed the offer of funding of £1,348,370 from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles for electric vehicle charge-points in residential areas across the north.

Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd and Mayor of Derry and Strabane District Council Sandra Duffy who leads a local council consortium welcoming a funding boost for electric vehicle charge-points in residential areas across the north

Funding opportunities for the installation of charge point infrastructure in GB-NI are provided by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).

This funding award and match-funding from the Department for Infrastructure of £500,000 will be to assist local councils across the north with the installation of on-street electric vehicle charge points for local residents in a number of residential areas wishing to charge their plug-in electric vehicles that lack access to private off-street charging.

Welcoming the funding offer Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said:

“In order to tackle the decarbonisation of transport and address climate change we must seriously prioritise sustainable modes of transport.  This offer of funding from OZEV and the match funding of £500,000 that I am making available to a local council consortium led by Derry City and Strabane District Council for 2021-22 applications, subject to public expenditure processes, is a further welcome boost to help accelerate the transition to zero emission cars and vans. 

“Having access to available and convenient charge-points is another important step forward. My Department has set up an EV Infrastructure Task-Force which brings together representatives from government, consumers, energy providers, industry and EV drivers to consider our EV Infrastructure requirements.  The task-force will help set out a clear action plan by autumn 2022 to deliver a fit for purpose, modern EV charging network.”

Welcoming the funding, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr Sandra Duffy said:

"Derry City and Strabane District Council have been leading a consortium of local councils in the development of a funding bid for the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles’s (OZEV) On-Street Residential Charge-point Scheme (ORCS), and we are delighted to have been successful in what is the first ORCS application for Northern Ireland. The scheme will see 124 EV charge-points installed in a number of residential areas that do not have access to private off-street parking and charging. The demand for electric vehicles is set to grow, particularly in the climate of rising petrol and diesel prices and alongside the phase out set by the UK government on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. Local councils identified the need to work collectively in the development of further EV charging infrastructure as some forecasts predict the UK will be 100% electric by 2040-2045. The funding application was only made possible thanks to the contribution of match funding from the Department of Infrastructure, who are also members of the consortium."

Decarbonisation Minister Trudy Harrison said:

“Our On-Street Residential Charge-point Scheme will help councils across Northern Ireland to install more charge-points, helping drivers make the switch to electric vehicles.

“By making charge-points more accessible, particularly to those without a driveway, we can help more and more people make the switch while supporting cleaner air and our journey to net zero.”

Notes to editors: 

1. The local council consortium, led by Derry City and Strabane District Council is comprised of all 11 councils, with nine of the 11 councils forming part of the ORCS application. The nine councils in the application were Derry City and Strabane District Council, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Mid Ulster District Council, Newry Mourne & Down District Council, and Ards & North Down Borough Council. The Department for Infrastructure, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Sustainable NI are also members of the consortium, along with the Department for the Economy who are members in an advisory capacity.
2. The current electric vehicle public charge point network is owned by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and is operated on a commercial basis. There is a network of 337 public charge points here. (320 22kWh Fast charge points at 160 locations and a further 17 50kWh DC Rapid chargers).
3. ESB announced in November 2021 that it had been awarded £3.27 million from the Levelling Up Fund to expand and enhance the EV charging network in the North. The market is also open to other commercial operators who would wish to provide charging infrastructure.
4. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office at: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
5. The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.
6. Follow the Department on Twitter @deptinfra and on Facebook @DepartmentforInfrastructure

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