Cable failure sees power station emissions triple

GREENHOUSE gas emissions from the power station more than tripled last year, Guernsey Electricity has revealed.

And the utility has warned that the Vale plant is likely to be the single largest contributor to the island's emissions for the next three years.

The power station was only the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gases in the latest Policy Council bulletin for 2011 – producing just 17% of emissions, compared with 25% from transport and 21% from commercial and domestic combustion. The utility had made a big cut in emissions since the French cable was brought online in 2001.

But cable failures slashed the amount of electricity the utility was able to import.

Guernsey Electricity managing director Alan Bates, pictured, said that had forced it to do more on-island generation, using the diesel-powered generators.