Risk of terror attack behind GE’s road closure

The road, which passes the power station and links North Side to Summerfield Road, has already been shut on a temporary basis.

In late 2015 a request by Guernsey Police was made to carry out a full security and risk assessment of the power station. It followed a meeting of the Multi Agency Counter Terrorism Risk Assessment Group held after the attacks in Paris and elsewhere.

Specialist officers from the UK visited critical island infrastructure sites and their findings were submitted to the then Home Department.

A full risk assessment was carried out by GE, Special Branch and the Emergency Planning Officer from Home Affairs in July 2017 and this recommended closure of the road.

States Trading Supervisory Board member and Vale deputy Jeremy Smithies said one of the risks identified had been a malicious attack on the power station, using public access through Hougue Jehannet, as the control room, two of the generators, transformers, and distribution switch rooms were within 10 metres of the road.

Deputy Smithies, who is also a Vale douzenier, said he supported the proposed closure.

‘The power station is a strategic asset that has been identified as a vulnerable target,’ he said.

‘It’s dramatic stuff, so remote that some might want to dismiss it, but you have to act on the advice given.’

Deputy Smithies and Deputy Paul Le Pelley were elected to Home Affairs last July, replacing deputies Rob Prow and Richard Graham who resigned in the wake of two damning reports on the committee.

Deputy Smithies said Home Affairs had not discussed Hougue Jehannet since he had been a committee member. He said the stance of committee president Deputy Mary Lowe in opposing the closure was an interesting one.

Deputy Lowe said the only time that the matter had come before her committee was in July 2018 with a request to consider supporting the closure of Hougue Jehannet.

‘The committee determined it did not consider it had sufficient evidence to support the road closure at that time and therefore did not support permanently closing Hougue Jehannet road,’ she said.

A traffic impact assessment that was carried out in October 2018 showed that pedestrian usage in the road was low with about 15 people using it over five days. Most of the traffic movements related to GE or Bucktrouts.

Deputy Smithies said that some had made the argument that Hougue Jehannet was sometimes used as a diversion when Vale Avenue was closed.

‘But Hougue Jehannet is a very narrow road and personally I would rather use Rue de la Hure Mare,’ he said.

A spokesman for Guernsey Electricity said that after receiving updated security information from Guernsey Police, which GE discussed with Energy Emergency Executive Committee Security Task Group of the Energy Networks Association, the company applied for a temporary road closure as an interim arrangement, as agreed by the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure.