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Tidal power for Alderney

ALDERNEY has reached a decarbonisation agreement to supply tidal power to the island.

SIMEC Atlantis turbine used in MeyGen project. Atlantis have reached an agreement with Alderney Electricity Limited to supply tidal power to the island. Picture supplied by Emma Pinch. (25711745)
SIMEC Atlantis turbine used in MeyGen project. Atlantis have reached an agreement with Alderney Electricity Limited to supply tidal power to the island. Picture supplied by Emma Pinch. (25711745) / Guernsey Press

SIMEC Atlantis Energy Ltd, the global developer, owner and operator of sustainable energy projects, announced that it has signed with Alderney Electricity Ltd. (AEL) to supply the island with power from a proposed tidal array off the coast of Normandy and help to reduce the island's current reliance on carbon-intensive diesel generation.

Through a joint venture with Normandie Participations and Efinor, Atlantis intends to develop, install, and operate a demonstration tidal array in the Raz Blanchard site off the coast of Normandy, France.

AEL is the principle energy provider and electricity distributor for Alderney and the electricity supply is currently provided entirely by diesel generation from the island's power plant.

Access to other sources of supply, such as the tidally generated power from the Normandie Hydroliennes array, is expected to help diversify and decarbonise Alderney's energy mix, providing the potential for future economic growth without reliance on diesel.

AEL's managing director James Lancaster said Alderney has a real buzz about it as the island's struggling economy seems to be turning around fast.

'This is such a great opportunity, bringing so much potential it is difficult to know where to start. The benefits are immediate; halving the island's carbon footprint, stable energy pricing and increased capacity.

'Much, much more than that, a fixed link to the continent gives our community the best possible platform for environmental, social, cultural and economic growth.'

Looking to the long term, he said the trial tidal sites will be the first physical installation of tidal turbines in local waters and a necessary first step if the the Alderney community is ever going to realise the full potential of becoming a net exporter of green, clean energy.

Atlantic CEO Tim Cornelius said this is the first, important step in unlocking the vast economic potential of the tidal flows around the Channel Islands.

'We subscribe to [AEL's forward-thinking] vision of not only seeking to provide security of supply for the island, but also using this project as a model for other island communities seeking to decarbonise and provide new opportunities for economic resilience.

While there are no seabed development rights associated with this electricity supply agreement, the parties hope that by initially providing the island with sufficient tidal power to satisfy the majority of domestic use, this project may be a precursor to a larger scale array that the island of Alderney can develop in its territorial waters to export power to both the UK and Europe.

More in tomorrow's Guernsey Press.

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