This Is Guernsey

By Nick Mann

IT WOULD cost about £500,000 a year to make Guernsey carbon neutral through tree-planting overseas. Deputies meet today to debate the energy policy green paper.

The consultation document proposes a raft of investigations into schemes aimed at meeting a new carbon emission target - a reduction of 30% on 1990 levels by 2020.

The Energy Policy Steering Group said some form of carbon offsetting was necessary to address emissions, particularly from road, air and sea transport.

It has no plans to tackle energy use by the aviation or shipping industries in isolation.

‘National governments have accepted that these measures should be examined with the international community or at least at European level,’ said group chairman Bernard Flouquet in the report.

‘Furthermore, in terms of emissions from road transport, the States has already agreed on a road transport strategy in order to address this issue.’

The report gave renewed impetus to that, he added.

‘However, the Policy Council considers that further investigation should be pursued in regard to funding reforestation schemes abroad in order to offset the island’s carbon footprint,’ said Deputy Flouquet.

‘Using figures from the Stern Report, the group has produced a rough calculation that sets the cost of rendering the island carbon neutral through reforestation abroad at about £500,000 per year.’

This money could be raised through green taxes, he added.

Carbon offsetting would be combined with other in-island programmes such as improved energy efficiency and reducing waste.

‘Other viable schemes which could receive funding through sums raised from green taxes include insulation, micro-renewable generation and energy efficiency grants.’

In the background as members debate the report is a push in the UK towards offshore wind production.

Business Secretary John Hutton wants enough new turbines - up to 7,000 - to power all UK homes by 2020.

Guernsey’s energy policy also addresses this with estimates suggesting it would cost the same as tidal generation to produce 7.5MW of power.

Onshore wind is the cheapest renewable macro-generation option, with a capital cost of £7.5m for the same amount of power.

A modern diesel plant, with exhaust cleaning, would cost about £3.75m.