Sark could have co-operative for energy supply

Sark seigneur Christopher Beaumont said there are already some ideas about how Sark’s government will run the island’s electricity supply once Sark Electricity is nationalised.

‘There is a vision document being put together on future energy on Sark, on how does Sark want to manage its energy budget,’ he said.

‘That goes beyond electricity, it also covers polluting, diesel tractors and things like that. There is a big piece of work to be done.

‘There is a vision statement that is at late stage draft and for the future it is how do you weave what you have got into what you want.

‘In my perception, David [Gordon-Brown] has seen as well that that is not where he wants to go. It’s a long-term project.’

The Seigneur wants the public to buy into the new energy structure and take an active role in its creation.

‘Chief Pleas could do something different, there are a lot of potential structures that could be put in place that don’t mean it is in the hands of a single entity,’ he said.

‘We could put a much more social ownership model in place or a co-operative. I have views on how I would like people to be buying into energy production storage systems.’

Instead of showing the island in a bad light, he believed the recent situation had demonstrated a can-do attitude and the resilience of the public.

‘It has offered everyone an opportunity to see that the will is there and the capability is there and it shows everyone that the community of Sark is very capable of pulling together, it’s got a can-do attitude, it looks after itself and other people and from that point of view that is a very positive thing. So I am delighted to have seen the population pull together do well in the face of what could have been some adversity.’

Making contingency plans for a power outage showed the island’s ability to prepare for an emergency situation, in his view.

‘You are seeing what would have happened if we had got to the state where there wasn’t any power and, yes, for a period of time life would have been more difficult than it is now.

‘But I am absolutely convinced that Sark people would have just gone about their lives in a normal way.

‘When you live on a rock, you become resilient.’