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Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

Mid and East Antrim Council’s electricity bills cost £1m per annum and are expected to double during the next financial year, councillors have been told.

A report presented to a meeting of the local authority’s Policy and Resources Committee on Monday evening noted that electricity is the borough council’s highest energy cost.

As a result, the use of solar energy has been proposed in a bid to enable the council to make “significant financial and carbon savings”.

It is estimated that installation of solar panels at six council-owned sites would result in a saving of £70k annually.

The Amphitheatre in Carrickfergus, Larne Leisure Centre and Ballymena Household Recycling Centre, which account for one fifth of the council’s energy consumption, have been selected for new solar panels.

These sites have been approved by the District Network Operator Northern Ireland.

Sullatober Household Recycling Centre in Carrick, The Braid and the Springwell Street multi-storey car park in Ballymena have been earmarked for a second phase and are currently being assessed by this body.

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The report acknowledges that while there have been “a number of solar installations in the past across the council estate, the design has become outdated and has not scaled to make a significant impact in line with demand”.

It has also been stated that equipment at two of the sites is either “non-functional or generating at rates that would be insignificant” and replacements of “significantly higher capacity would be advised”.

Speaking at the meeting, council chairperson Billy Ashe recalled that when solar equipment was installed at Carrickfergus Leisure Centre, now known as the Amphitheatre, it “never worked from day one”.

“It never met the levels it was supposed to. We are 20 years down the line. Hopefully these problems are ironed out.”

Alliance councillor John Hyland queried at what stage the panels were found to be “not functioning or not efficient” and that there was “no value in trying to fix them”.

“I would be more confident in these choices going forward.”

DUP councillor William McCaughey commented: “Probably some of the problem was the cheapest quote we could get.

“I do not want to see us going down that road of the cheapest option.”

The council has also been considering the potential of a solar farm at Carnfunnock Country Park outside Larne.

DUP councillor Gregg McKeen suggested that solar energy be considered by the council as a source of income from the site.

However, he was advised that this particular site may not have access to an “end user for potential electricity generated” and that that while the” ground space would “allow for a substantial number of panels, the electricity production would far outweigh the site requirements”.

Meanwhile, a disused council-owned landfill site outside Ballymena earns Mid and East Antrim Borough Council £100,000 annually.

The council is currently “extracting gas and producing electricity on site” at Ballymacvea Landfill Site, at Tullynamullan Road, in Kells, which closed in 2007.

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