Funding secured for additional EV charging points

MINISTER for Infrastructure, Liz Kimmins and Deputy Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Alderman Niree McMorris, have welcomed the appointment of a contractor to deliver over 250 EV charge points across nine local councils including Derry City and Strabane District Council, as part of the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles’ (OZEV) On Street Residential Charge Point Scheme (ORCS).

Local EV infrastructure company, Weev, will supply, connect and operate the charge points which will be located in a mix of on-street and council-owned car park locations, within residential areas that lack driveways/off-street parking.

ORCS is led by Derry City and Strabane District Council, as the lead council of the NI EV Consortium, which represents nine local councils, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The ORCS project is an investment of over £2 million part funded by OZEV, the DfI and WEEV.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins welcomed the contractor announcement saying: “I am delighted my department has been able assist in the funding of over 250 charge points which will widen the electric vehicle charge point offering across nine local council areas for the public and local businesses.

"This shows my ongoing commitment for my department to support, where possible, the expansion of EV charging facilities across the north, as the adoption of electric vehicles gathers pace as we move towards Net Zero.”

Welcoming the appointment, Alderman McMorris, added: “Improving access to charge points is another positive step in progressing the move towards sustainable, cleaner travel.

"It will make electric charging more accessible and convenient for users and encourage the switch to electric vehicles.

“Council has been taking an active role as lead of the consortium and along with our partner councils we will continue to lobby for more support for the improvement of local EV infrastructure.”

The chosen locations for the EV charge points are within residential areas in a range of towns and cities, and work is set to commence in the coming weeks.

Thomas O'Hagan, Weev CCO, said: “We are delighted to be awarded the ORCS contract and play our part in growing Northern Ireland’s EV infrastructure.

"The growth of EV charger installations and EV car uptake is vital if we are going to reach the net zero targets set by the government.

"Initiatives like ORCS, driven by local councils will have a huge role to play.”

Mark McCall, chair of Electric Vehicle Association Northern Ireland, added: “Weev secured the top spot as the most reliable EV charger in our annual EVANI survey where we polled electric vehicle owners across Northern Ireland for their opinion.

"It was a well-deserved accolade for Weev to be ranked number one against a growing number of Charge Point Operators, as their dedication to the service doesn’t go unnoticed.”