Flintshire to get over £3m from Welsh Government to upgrade 11,000 streetslights to LED

Over 11,000 street lights across Flintshire will be upgraded to LED equivalents following the approval of a £3.13million loan through the Welsh Government’s Green Growth Wales initiative.

The new replacement LED lights are expected to reduce Flintshire County Council’s annual energy costs by around £360,000 a year and 1,387 tonnes CO_2e annually. The change will also improve lighting levels and reduce the number of faults occurring on the network each year, cutting down maintenance costs as a result.

[miptheme_quote author=”Councillor Bernie Attridge, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Environment ” style=”boxquote text-left”]We are extremely grateful to the Welsh Government both for the funding and for the support provided to Council officers through the Green Growth Wales programme.[/miptheme_quote]

The £3.13million loan has been awarded to Flintshire County Council through the Welsh Government’s Green Growth Wales funding programme. The fund aims to support public services to become more energy efficient and invest in green technologies.

This project has been developed with the support of Salix Finance, who will administer this loan, and recycle the repayments into further public sector investments in Wales.

Savings generated from the switch to LED lighting will be used to repay the investment, support local community projects and leave the council with a net income.

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths said:

Through our Green Growth Wales initiative, we are supporting the development of public sector energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. I am delighted we have been able to support Flintshire’s ambitions to update its street lighting and save significant money for the future.

This project has huge potential and all public bodies should be developing ambitious green growth projects like this to deliver decarbonisation in Wales.

The funding provided to Flintshire Council is repayable over a period of around eight years. The repayments to the Invest to Save Green Growth fund will be used to then invest in further energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Alyn and Deeside AM Carl Sargeant and Deputy Leader of Flintshire County Council Bernie Attridge in Connah’s Quay today.

Councillor Bernie Attridge, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Environment said:

An effective street lighting provision is a key safety consideration on many parts of the highway network and in many areas the presence of good quality lighting during the night time period helps the public feel safer.

A large number of our street lights have been in place for many years and are in need of replacement and the funding to replace the units with energy efficient LED lighting units provides us with the opportunity to save around £360,000 in electricity costs per year whilst also reducing our carbon footprint

Works across the County to replace the lights will take approximately 2 years to complete, with installation work taking place alongside routine maintenance and inspection activities to reduce installation costs and avoid further disruption to residents and road users.