Deputies agreed to create the Offshore Renewable Energy Commission as an independent body to issue the licences which companies will require if they wish to develop offshore wind facilities.
The commission will not start work until a commencent date is agreed by the next States, which is expected to be in 2026, by which time the Environment & Infrastructure Committee, which led the proposals in the States yesterday, should have reported back on the terms of a late amendment it laid directing a review of the best model for licensing offshore renewable energy.
‘The commission will be an essential part of the local regulatory infrastructure in relation to offshore renewables and will act as an enabler to the offshore renewable energy industry,’ said E&I president Lindsay de Sausmarez.
‘The licensing regime needs to be proportionate, scalable and proactive in dealing with the demands of the renewable energy sector in Guernsey, as it moves from its naissance towards early stages and eventually to maturity.’
The Assembly was advised that a commission acting independently of the States would eliminate political risk or involvement in licensing and therefore help attract commercial developers who might otherwise be put off from investing.
The commission will be able to appoint its own staff and will initially require funding from the States. Funding of £300,000 had previously been allocated and deputies yesterday agreed more.
E&I is permitted to make grants to the commission until it receives its first application for the licensing of a renewable energy activity and it won support for an initial grant of £346,000.
The commission will also require the assistance of States support, in particular for administration, IT and legal matters, and deputies agreed that may incur additional expenditure of £105,000 as the commission is getting set up and about £120,000 annually thereafter.
All parts of E&I’s approach were backed by large majorities, with no more than six deputies voting against any of the propositions.
Policy & Resources hopes that enough progress will have been made for a leasing regime to be in place by the end of 2026 or start of 2027 and a wind farm to be operating by about 2035.
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