Tidal power could test island unity

More than a decade on from predictions that tidal power would be the next big industry for the island, exporting power to Europe, we are still waiting.

The technology has been much slower than expected to become commercially viable, while wind and solar energy is much more advanced and far cheaper.

There are now calls from one of the key players in the tidal industry for the Channel Islands to work together, to think big and be bold, finally to tap into that potential.

SIMEC Atlantis is working to power up the first tidal units on the French side of the Alderney Race in 2021 before rolling out a larger project in 2022.

Its boss has said the Channel Islands are among the top four locations for tidal power, alongside Canada, Scotland and South Korea, but there is no point dabbling in a few units.

If Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney work together, a 500-turbine unit could produce ‘competitively priced electricity’.

Sitting between the UK and France, with connections to both, it is a massive opportunity, but progress has been stilted.

There is always plenty of talk about inter-island co-operation. This is a test of whether that can really happen.

The lack of an energy policy in Guernsey remains a barrier to this type of thinking.

Without it there is no guiding vision and no driver for change.

Tidal units have an easier time in terms of public perception because the infrastructure is out of sight, although concerns remain about the impact on wildlife. They are, however, hard to maintain.

There will come a tipping point where this industry will become established, but there are no guarantees at the moment that the island will be positioned to exploit that to its full extent.

Renewable energy will form a major part of the power mix moving forward – it already does for other nations in terms of wind and solar.

Guernsey has adopted a cautious approach, while Alderney has been burned by previous attempts to license its sea bed.

But when you can become a world leader, sitting back and waiting for it to happen is not enough.