NI Water Contracts for Innovation challenges

Innovative solutions, technologies and products sought for Wastewater Sludge Management and Green Capacity Market Services.

Northern Ireland Water has launched two Contracts for Innovation challenges to seek solutions to run its operations more efficiently and sustainably.

These challenges are being run in partnership with Innovate UK Contracts for Innovation, the Department for the Economy's Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Challenge Fund, and the Strategic Investment Board (SIB).

Challenge 1: Green Capacity Market Services

NI Water seeks to plan, investigate and develop solutions for the future of around 300 of its diesel generators which are critical for the delivery of water and wastewater services.

• NI Water require an innovative solution which enables the decarbonisation of c.300 standby generators.
• Any proposed solution must be compliant with existing legislation and climate related obligations including but not limited to medium combustion plant directive (MCPD) legislation.
• The solution developed can be a new or retrofitted idea which must offer best value for the business.
• The solution must be available to purchase and be commercially viable for NI Water to roll out within the time limits of all legislation compliance requirements but no later than January 2027.
• The solution must enable optimised participation in the capacity and system services market through the generation and provision of green electricity and present an invest to save opportunity for the business.
• The solution must provide a reliable core function in terms of back up generation for NI Water’s assets.
• Capacity market participation requires a longer duration response capability (+8 hours) from green electricity resources as a minimum.
• Any solutions developed by process participants would need to have the potential to be exportable to other markets facing the same decarbonisation and security of supply issues.

The competition has a total budget of £270,000 (excl VAT) for Phase 1 work, with four bidders anticipated to be selected. Find out more about the Green Capacity Market Services challenge and how to apply.

Challenge 2: Wastewater Sludge Management

NI Water is looking for innovative solutions, technologies and products that can help it reduce its sludge costs and carbon footprint significantly.

The aim of this challenge is to improve the sludge quality so that it can be de-watered beyond 30 per cent dry solids to reduce transport and provide operational efficiencies whilst reducing carbon and lining up with NI Water’s long term Sludge Strategy. The baseline is currently circa 20 per cent dry solids.  An additional benefit would be to reduce the volume of sludge produced and transported to the incinerator.  NI Water is also interested in any other technologies and ideas that can reduce the cost of sludge management.

Innovative solutions would need to be proposed and tested in order to exceed the existing baseline, de-water beyond 30 per cent dry solids, in order to significantly improve current sludge management including transportation, carbon reductions and complementing NI Water’s long term sludge strategy.

NI Water is also interested in any other innovative technologies and ideas that can reduce the cost of sludge management.

This challenge has a total budget of £135,000 (excl VAT) for Phase 1 work, with three bidders anticipated to be selected. Find out more about the Wastewater Sludge Management challenge and how to apply.

Online briefing event

SIB will hold an online briefing event from 11am to 12:30pm on Thursday 14 November 2024. The event will provide further detail to potential suppliers on:

• the challenge brief and competition scope
• the SBRI process
• how to apply

There will also be an opportunity for suppliers to ask questions of DAERA and SBRI - register now for the briefing event.

First published 12 November 2024