Ballykelly Wastewater Plant has been significantly upgraded with a new solar panel system.

NI Water's first battery energy storage system was installed at the new Ballykelly Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW).

Last year, NI Water announced the completion of the overall £5 million investment to upgrade Ballykelly WwTW, providing a new wastewater treatment approach, utilising reed beds as part of the treatment process, providing a natural, long-term and resilient solution. The Ballykelly plant is leading the way with this sustainable solution to wastewater treatment, which maximises the use of renewables as part of an integrated solution. This new battery energy storage system will further enhance the efficiency of the plant through increased use of solar energy.

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Mark Brownlee NI Water Senior Capital Project Manager said: "The aim of the new battery system is to enable the plant to operate using 100% locally generated solar power for as much of the year as possible. In winter months, during periods of lower solar generation, the battery system can be topped up from the grid using off-peak cheaper energy tariffs.

"This innovative system, which was developed in-house, is the first of its kind for NI Water and will bring many efficiency benefits and cost savings to the company in light of rising energy prices."

The battery system will be used in an innovative way to drive costs down during high demand periods in the winter by maximising the use of both the electricity network and the Solar Panel System. Energy can be stored and released flexibly to reduce costs during peak periods and decrease the demand on the grid.