Northern Ireland is taking a leap forward in attempts to deliver sustainable infrastructure across the region with the latest £8m investment in new LED street lighting, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has said.

The new programme will see £8m invested this financial year in new LED street lights, which have a predicted lifetime of approximately 25 years, are energy efficient and will contribute to the Minister's green agenda.

Speaking about the importance of the programme during a recent visit to a completed road scheme in east Belfast, Minister Mallon 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.   

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"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% renewable sources. Up to 01 April 2021, approximately 112,000 new LED units have been installed, representing 39% of the Department's total stock of 288,959 lights. This has resulted in a reduction in energy consumption of approximately 24%.  

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

"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. This investment, alongside my Blue/Green Fund, 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."