NI Water has published its Power of Water report at COP26, urging the people of Northern Ireland to take action to decarbonise the energy system.

The reports sets out how NI Water might be part of a wider decarbonisation agenda with a number of practical examples focusing on three key messages - Innovate, Collaborate and Urgency.

By moving electricity more off-peak, investing in batteries to store power, using its reservoirs as a potential source of hydro power and developing its use of electrolysers, NI Water believes it could act as a catalyst in a number of ways. These include helping end dependence on fossil fuels in NI, helping produce an affordable supply of green hydrogen and producing oxygen to increase the efficiency and capacity of treatment works.

Speaking at the COP26 event, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said: "Whilst the COP26 conference is shining a global spotlight on the climate emergency, locally we can see the stark reminders that the climate crisis is threatening our environment and our way of life. Just this year we saw record high temperatures and prolonged dry spells that resulted in corresponding pressure on our water system. The message is clear – just as security of our water cannot be taken for granted neither can our planet. We need to act together and we need to act now to address the greatest global challenge of our generation.

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"The Power of Water report and the event today has offered a really important opportunity for us to come together to share our experience and demonstrate cohesiveness in addressing the climate emergency facing us here. It has provided the chance to take stock of what we have done already to meet the challenge of climate change; and, secondly, the steps we could take to go further to make the economy right across this island sustainable, low carbon, low energy cost and therefore affordable.

"No one organisation or government department has the whole answer, just as there is no one lever or technology which can meet the Net Zero target. It is the combination of different technology and policy drivers. And it is as a prompt to that process of trial and error that I welcome the Power of Water report. It is not, as it says, the final word, but an important staging post in drawing our attention to the right answers."

Commenting at the launch of the Power of Water report, NI Water's chairman, Dr Len O'Hagan added: "I have no doubt that Northern Ireland recognises the urgent need to respond to the Climate Emergency. The question is, as Greta Thunberg has eloquently put it, can we turn 'blah, blah, blah' into real action? Can we summon the collective will and action to do what is necessary to turn 'What might a net zero NI might look like?' into 'What will a net Zero NI look like on, or before, 2050?'.

"And that really is the underlying question behind the Power of Water report and the purpose of our event."

NI Water's Chief Executive, Sara Venning commented: "Climate change is already affecting all of us, creating pressures our utilities historically weren't designed to cope with, as the combination of the volatile weather and soaring energy prices this summer and autumn have illustrated.

"Addressing the effects of climate change, therefore, is not a discretionary activity for NI Water. It is business critical if we are to continue to be able to supply people in Northern Ireland with good quality water services at a cost, they, and the taxpayer, can afford.

"However, change will only happen if we all work together. The 'Power of Water' report is a prompt, but it is only a prompt. What happens next is what really matters. Let the conversation lead to tangible action."

The conclusions found in the Power of Water report were based on work NI Water has carried out in the last few years.

The full report is available to view here.