Select a region
Guernsey politicians might have blasted their sister island as they recently threw out plans to collaborate on green energy initiatives – but Jersey's Environment Minister said the question of working together on a wind farm is still on the table.
Deputy Jonathan Renouf made the comments as he released a new visual of how a wind farm off Corbiere could look at the same time as launching a 14-week consultation on the proposals.
According to Deputy Renouf, the wind farm in the southwest of the island's territorial waters could generate around one-gigawatt in power – twice as much power as the 62-turbine wind farm currently being built north of Saint Brieuc.
Since announcing the scheme, which he'll be asking States Members to support 'in principle' when it goes to a vote next month, Deputy Renouf said there had been several "expressions of interest" from potential commercial partners, although he would not reveal which companies had made approaches.
CLICK TO ENLARGE: A photorealistic representation of how a wind farm might look.
Deputy Renouf explained: "Windfarms are being built all over the world and there are consortia that get put together to do that. We would be looking at people who have experience in building windfarms, who are interested in doing something. We have to attract them and so we have to make the investing environment an attractive one."
He added that the launch of the public consultation could also help to "smoke out" interested parties.
It was previously hoped that the islands might be able to collaborate – at least to some extent – on the project, with Ministers from both islands joining each other on a 'fact-finding' mission in Cherbourg earlier this year.
Visiting Cherbourg port on a fact finding trip to find out more about wind power development with Kirsten Morel & @Lindsay_Gsy . There’s huge investment in new facilities here as European offshore wind starts to take off. Big potential opportunity for Jersey... pic.twitter.com/QTuPWO9rX7
— Jonathan Renouf (@JonathanRenouf) September 15, 2023
However, when Guernsey politicians were asked to approve a review that would explore the benefits of greater collaboration between Guernsey Electricity and Jersey Electricity with a potential focus on offshore wind, the idea was shot down.
Instead, several members of Guernsey's States took the opportunity to air historic issues with pan-island working, with one with one representative going so far as to say that, given half a chance, Jersey will eat your "breakfast and your lunch".
Despite this, Deputy Renouf told Express today that potential collaboration with Guernsey on the wind farm project was still a possibility.
He commented: "From our point of view it is very much in Guernsey's court, in a way. We have talked extensively to them about what we are planning to do and it is really up to them to come to a view about whether they want to be involved or not. Should they want to be involved, we are very much up for the discussion."
"There is clearly history that plays into the current situation to an extent, but what we are looking at is a long-term project where we have to move beyond things that happened years and years ago," he continued.
FOCUS: Electricity bid dredges up Jersey and Guernsey's dirty laundry | Bailiwick Express https://t.co/jqfqGaIy1j
— Bailiwick Express (@bailiwickxpress) September 7, 2023
Addressing the potential cost of the scheme, he added: "If you look at the equivalent cost of similar-sized schemes, you are [looking] anywhere between £1.5bn to £3bn."
A consultation survey is now open and public drop-in sessions will be held in each parish over the next few months, prior to a post-consultation report being published to help inform States Members ahead of the debate on the proposition in spring 2024.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.