Sarkees hear of plans to produce their own power

A meeting took place in the island this week where Jake Burnyeat and members of the island’s Policy and Finance Committee set out what CfR has been taken on to do.

Its appointment was the latest development in the thorny relationship between Chief Pleas and Sark Electricity.

While the government had at one point talked about buying the company, the decision was taken this year for it to look at setting up its own operator and to use CfR to help.

CfR was introduced as a not-for-profit company which Mr Burnyeat said had helped communities to develop, finance and manage their own renewable energy generation.

It will manage a three-stage tender process in order to find an experienced contractor for the necessary work, develop a finance strategy, manage the financing process and help set up the new island-owned company.

There would also be a need for legal support from Guernsey’s law officers as well as the need for a technical advisor and owner’s engineer.

Examples in which the company had been involved were shown, including community-owned solar farms in north Somerset and Selsey.

Sark’s new system could include solar, but also possibly wind power, plus diesel and battery.

The meeting was told that the next move would be for expressions of interest to be invited by the end of the year with the goal being to shortlist parties by the end of February.

April is set as a deadline by which a preferred partner should be selected and the system design and cost finalised.

• A survey about a replacement power grid is available on the Sark Chief Pleas’ website – sarkgov.co.uk