Infrastructural Investment
The vision for infrastructural development
should be directed towards ensuring a holistic development of the nation where
in the gap between the urban and rural centers can be reduced if not eliminated.
An effective infrastructural development would provide (Sanders et al., 2022):
¾
a clear framework for planning
and prioritising future infrastructure investments.
¾
a commitment to maximise the
capital and revenue available to finance investment needs and accelerate
delivery.
¾
a thematic, cross-cutting and
coherent approach to enable more responsive, efficient and effective delivery
of public infrastructure.
¾
a clear signal to the private
sector to enable and encourage infrastructure investment.
Over the past decade, Northern Ireland has
invested nearly £15 billion in maintaining, upgrading, and extending their
regional infrastructure — an average of £1.48 billion per year, making it
equivalent of more than £8,000 per person. Nearly three-quarters of the investment
has been in the major infrastructure areas: roads, housing, water and
wastewater, schools, public transport and hospitals (NI Executive, 2022).
 |
| Figure 1: Infrastructure Spend 2011 – 2021 |
At present, the focus is largely on
supporting the economic and social recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, an urgent and growing need for to address global climate change, to
meet the needs of a growing and ageing population, and to harness technological
and digital change in order to improve lives, protect our environment and
secure jobs for the future. These present major challenges, but also
opportunities, particularly as investment in the development of green economy
are set to rise.
Sustainable Transport: Present Circumstance
Northern Ireland has made significant advances in reducing greenhouse gases, however the society remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels. A major issue in this regard remains the fact that less than 1 per cent of vehicles running on Northern Irish roads are electric powered (TLT, 2021).
 |
Figure 2: Despite increase in sales EVs form a minuscule percentage of roads on Northern Irish roads.
|
 |
Figure 3: While no one in Northern Ireland is more than 30 miles from a
fast charger, the country currently has the fewest rapid chargers per head of
population in the UK |
Fifty-eight per cent of Northern Irish EV
drivers are considering going back to petrol or diesel. In the rest of the
world, 88 per cent said they would never even consider such a move,
demonstrating just how difficult the situation in Northern Ireland is currently
(TLT, 2021).
Looking into the Future
Sustainable travel is essential for
achieving the strategic goals that ensure a greener and better condition for
Northern Ireland. More than 40 per cent of vehicles will need to be electric by
2035 if Northern Ireland intends to be on track to meet their transport
emissions targets. This will require significant investment across urban and
rural areas in rapid charging stations, electricity generation, storage,
distribution and battery recycling, plus engagement with consumers and the
manufacturing sector (NI Executive, 2022).
Under the UK Government’s Road to Zero strategy,
it will soon be law that, where possible, new houses in developments in England
and Wales must have electric vehicle charging points. While this provides a way
forward, the grids currently operating in Northern Ireland would not be able to
support the new demands without drastic changes that would require a huge
investment of time, effort, and financial resources (Mulgrew, 2022). Public
charging points must be established. Particularly in rural areas in NI, there
are houses with wiring and grid connections from the 1950s and 1960s that
simply would not support the throughput required for charging an electric car,
even during the night, just as they will not support an electric oven or
electric heating (TLT, 2021). Those areas must be upgraded as a matter of
urgency and the cost spread among the wider population.
Conclusion
From a strong start, Northern Ireland’s
electric vehicle charging infrastructure has lost its early advantage in the
UK, and adoption rates are suffering as a result. Battery-driven cars, combined
with an increase in renewable and carbon-neutral generation capacity and better
data on how consumers use electricity, are required to ensure that the
country’s ambitious climate targets are to be met in time. Climate action is
welcomed by both the population and industry, and there is goodwill available
to forge partnerships between the public and private sector to move the
situation forwards.
References
Mertens, E., Stiles, R., & Karadeniz, N. (2022). Green may be nice,
but infrastructure is necessary. Land, 11(1), 89.
https://doi.org/10.3390/land11010089
Miroshnyk, N. V., Likhanov, A. F., Grabovska, T. O., Teslenko, I. K.,
& Roubík, H. (2022). Green infrastructure and relationship with
urbanization – Importance and necessity of integrated governance. Land Use
Policy, 114, 105941.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105941
Mulgrew, J. (2022). Electric vehicles: Big moves now needed to get ahead
of the pack in Northern Ireland. Belfasttelegraph.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/ulsterbusiness/features/electric-vehicles-big-moves-now-needed-to-get-ahead-of-the-pack-in-northern-ireland-41954005.html
NI Executive. (2022). The Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland
(Infrastructure 2050). Invest Strategy Northern Ireland (ISNI).
Sanders, C. E., Gibson, K. E., & Lamm, A. J. (2022). Rural broadband
and precision agriculture: A frame analysis of united states federal policy outreach
under the biden administration. Sustainability, 14(1), 460.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010460
TLT. (2021). Northern Ireland’s electric future. TLT.
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