Future Government could include dedicated Energy Minister

Thursday 06 June 2024

An Energy Minister could be added to the ranks of a future Government after a recent report warned that Jersey's resilience in the energy sector is being compromised by a lack of joined-up working.

Environment Minister Steve Luce confirmed this week that discussions had happened about a potential new addition to the Council of Ministers.

He was responding to questions from scrutiny about the Comptroller and Auditor General’s 'Critical Infrastructure Resilience - Energy' report, published on Monday.

In her report, Lynn Pamment said that that roles and responsibilities regarding energy matters are not clear enough.

She also criticised the fact that there was no single person, team or department responsible for coordinating energy matters in Government.

Pictured: Comptroller and Auditor General Lynn Pamment.

Scrutiny chair Deputy Hilary Jeune asked Deputy Luce, who currently has responsibility for energy as Environment Minister, how he would ensure the "swift implementation" of the report's recommendations, including the suggestion of a specific point of contact for energy matters.

Deputy Luce said discussions had happened about a potential new addition to the Council of Ministers.

He said: "I did mention it to officers on Monday, and asked, are we looking potentially at an Energy Minister in a future Government? It may well be the case that it’s necessary.

"Energy, like water, is a vital part of island life."

He added: "We have electricity, oil, petrol, diesel, gas. In recent times, gas has been a challenge for a number of reasons.

"But these are all private companies and maybe there should be more oversight over them.

"We need to have a better handle on where the energy is coming from and how it’s delivered."