Alderney leading the race for tidal power

ALDERNEY'S tidal power project may not end up giving everyone in the island free electricity – but it could change the world.

The groundbreaking scheme, which involves several turbines being planted in The Race, off Longis Bay, could eventually generate enough electricity to power one million homes. It could also mean Alderney becomes the first place in the world to run exclusively on clean energy.

However, before anyone can start dreaming of living in an oil-free society, the pilot project must prove successful.

OpenHydro, the first and only company to install a tidal turbine farm at the European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland, and Alderney Renewable Energy (ARE) are jointly leading the scheme and their first aim is to discover whether electricity generated by turbines in The Race can be brought ashore.

I spoke to James Ives, OpenHydro's chief executive, at last week's public exhibition at the Island Hall.

Mr Ives said: 'We are focusing on phase one and that simply involves getting the power ashore.

That is a major hurdle in itself, the size of which should not be underestimated. People must remember we are proposing only a pilot at the moment – hundreds of turbines will not appear at the bottom of The Race overnight.'

Should the pilot get the green light from the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy, three or four turbines will be placed on the seabed, enough to generate around 2MW of electricity.

ARE chief executive Paul Clark told me the energy from the project would be tested by Alderney Electricity which will then decide whether it is good enough to power the island.

Mr Clark said, 'Provided the electricity is brought ashore,

it will then be assessed by Alderney Electricity and if it is of good quality it will be used by them. 'That could mean cheaper electricity sooner rather than later but Mr Clark stressed the plan is a long-term one.

He added: 'This is a five to ten year plan. At the moment we're concentrating on producing clean energy that doesn't affect this unique island too much.

We want to produce energy in a way that won't affect Alderney's coastline and wildlife.'

The enormity of the project, which could lead to hundreds of turbines generating 3GW of electricity in the Race, is not lost on States member Colin Williams, who told me the scheme must be taken advantage of. He said:

'The States needs to grab this opportunity with both hands as it is a complete one-off.

'The chance to be self sufficient energy-wise is something no one would have thought of 20 years ago. This is potentially huge.'

At present, it is not known whether islanders will eventually benefit from cheaper electricity. ARE director Stuart Trought recently warned residents not to expect free energy but did say islanders would benefit greatly if the scheme went ahead. It is a view echoed by both Mr Ives and Mr Clark. In my opinion, residents here have every right to expect their fair share from this scheme, provided of course it comes to fruition. The public don't want States coffers to be filled for a rainy day – they want their electricity bills to be slashed so they are at least on a par with mainland Britain and the rest of Europe. It must be realised that if the price of oil contains to rise unabated, the cost of living in Alderney may force many to leave the island.

And, to make matters worse, those leaving could include young families that Alderney may rely on in future for its very existence.

That could turn out to be as significant as striking oil was to the Saudi Arabians in the 1950s and the States of Alderney and big business mustn't be the only ones to benefit from it.

The ability to produce clean energy is something every country dreams of doing and Alderney seems to have the potential to offer a blueprint that the rest of the world can follow. It is an opportunity that cannot be missed.