If it is not agreed mutually, Chief Pleas will go to the Seneschal’s Court and ask for accountancy firm Begbies Traynor to be appointed.
It said that a great deal of work had been carried out to move the project forward, with nine firms approached as potential valuers of the company and its assets.
Chief Pleas said last night that it had made an initial proposal to Alan Witney-Price, managing director of Sark Electricity, who continues to make his own demands and threaten taking the government through the courts over the matter. It said that ‘little feedback was received’.
Begbies Traynor would be supported by Hilco Global for the specific machinery and plant valuation aspects of the exercise. Chief Pleas said it believed that the firm had the necessary scale and possessed the relevant expertise and experience.
Once compulsory purchase was completed, Chief Pleas said that SEL staff in the island would be kept on and would immediately start a safety and reliability upgrade programme, under supervision from Guernsey Electricity, and assisted by outside contractors.
Chief Pleas has also attempted to clarify statements made by Mr Witney-Price about the sale of his company and Chief Pleas’ position in the matter.
It said that a prospective deal with Scottish firm Island Power, referenced often by Mr Witney-Price, was never ‘financially credible or technically appropriate’.
It denied that it had ever blocked the prospective sale of the company, saying it had no power to do so.
It has also denied statements about the cost to Sark of legal advice provided by the Law Officers of the Crown in Guernsey.
This, it said, was covered by a long-standing service level agreement and annual fee, currently nearly £83,000, which was unlikely to be increased significantly for next year, as is being alleged, to fund the legal costs over the compulsory purchase project.
It added that the law officers have advised that the compulsory purchase legislation is human rights-compliant.
Chief Pleas admitted that Sark taxes will have to rise to cover urgent spending on critical infrastructure projects, but none of this will be associated with electricity matters. Those costs will be met by the approved loan agreed with the States of Guernsey and paid back through the electricity unit price.
‘Chief Pleas is committed to bringing the assets of Sark Electricity into community ownership, ensuring a safe, reliable and affordable electricity supply for our community.
'The compulsory purchase process is now under way to deliver this,’ it said in a statement.
Tonight Shane Lynch, the island’s electricity price control commissioner, will hold a public meeting in the Island Hall at 6pm, followed by drop-in clinics tomorrow afternoon.
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