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Northern Ireland Water Announces Ground Breaking Concept for Hydrogen Economy in Northern Ireland

By September 6, 2021 3   min read  (592 words)

September 6, 2021 |

Fuel cells works, Northern Ireland Water Announces Ground Breaking Concept for Hydrogen Economy in Northern Ireland

NI Water has announced a “ground breaking concept” that aims to help kick start the hydrogen economy in Northern Ireland.

The company has been awarded £5m of funding from the Department for the Economy (DfE) to undertake an innovative Oxygen and Hydrogen Demonstrator Project that will deploy a state-of-the-art, 1 Megawatt (MW) electrolyser at a major Wastewater Treatment Works.

This will be the first in the UK and Ireland to demonstrate how electrolysis can help to increase processing capacity, reduce carbon emissions and improve flexibility in the electricity grid.

Summary:

  • The project will use treated water from a Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) in the electrolysis process. This technology is designed to split water (H2O) into oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H2) before being stored prior to use. Electrolysis results in 8 parts of oxygen for every 1 part of hydrogen.
  • Normally during electrolysis, oxygen is vented to the atmosphere. This is because there is restricted demand for it. Whilst some limited amounts of oxygen are important for medical purposes, which the project will explore, oxygen is really only used at scale in the treatment of waste water. Research has shown that in some locations beyond Europe, the careful use of increased levels of oxygen can increase capacity at a WwTWs by helping the “bugs to eat faster.”
  • Electrolysis also produces hydrogen. Although it is expected that electric cars will be the major means by which we reduce harmful emissions from transport, it is not anticipated that lithium batteries will be the solution for large heavy vehicles that travel significant distances such as trucks, some buses, even ships. These are much more likely to benefit from hydrogen as a fuel source. NI Water is uniquely placed to harness its existing large electricity connections at a waste water treatment works and to use its widely distributed sites which are close to all our economic hub towns, to explore the company’s potential to decarbonise our own fleet as well as to assist other essential service providers.
  • The 1 Megawatt (MW) hydrogen eco system will be deployed in the autumn of 2021.

Economy Minister, Diane Dodds, commented: “I am delighted to announce an award of £5m to start this project. Hydrogen will become an increasingly important part of our future and there is a real opportunity for NI Water to lead the way in the public sector. It is a truly ground breaking project that has the potential to completely change how we think about and use energy.”

Department for Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon said: “We all have to act to tackle the climate crisis. NI Water has an ambitious strategy to address the climate emergency and become carbon neutral by 2050. As Northern Ireland’s single largest electricity consumer, the goal is to fully explore new approaches to energy and this funding is a significant milestone for the company. This project has the potential to have far reaching positive benefits for our island.”

Damien O’Mullan, Head of Energy at NI Water remarked: “This project puts Northern Ireland at the forefront of the rapidly developing global hydrogen economy and creates a hugely positive legacy for future generations.”

As a result of many years of underfunding the wastewater treatment system, Northern Ireland is facing major constraints that are now restricting approval of planning applications for new housing and businesses in our cities and in over 100 of our towns. This will take many years of ongoing investment to address. In time this project will assist in these endeavours.

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