Guernsey Press

A sensible bid to secure energy future

IT FEELS like we’ve been waiting so long for an electricity strategy, it’s no surprise to see that some States members ran off and attempted to do their own version of it.

Published

And the proposed outcome for a future energy strategy for the island is hardly surprising. The public would have largely said: ‘What renewable energy sources are we going to use?’ And the States has plumped for a mix of (dominant) wind power with a side helping of solar. With a price tag of £1.7bn.

When the key factors of security and resilience of supply, energy independence, and consumer value are taken into consideration, the package looks reasonably priced against the other options, and, probably of necessity, contains few surprises.

The security of a cable link was always going to be important, more so, but also more expensive, by insisting the link with France is a direct one, reinforcing independence. Environmental factors would have also been uppermost in the minds of Environment & Infrastructure, hence the relatively nervous nod towards renewables, with scope to develop.

What does this mean to islanders today? It won’t bring electricity prices down, won’t alter our dependence on energy sources, and won’t see the immediate development of a wind farm.

But it’s a sensible and rather cautious bid to secure the island’s energy future.