GUERNSEY ELECTRICITY remains upbeat about tidal power contributing to the island’s supply.
That is despite the Energy Policy Steering Group advising the States in its policy report that it should not at this stage invest directly in large-scale renewable energy projects.
Instead the group has told the States to form a commission to examine renewable electricity generation options locally. But GE engineering director Steve Morris (pictured) said the company was relaxed about that because it saw the proposed commission as progress on the States’ part.
‘When we first spoke to the steering group, they weren’t even sure if they wanted the island to go down the route of producing its own renewable energy. So we have gone from that stage to one where they want to look at how the island could have its own renewable energy supply.
‘Guernsey has no indigenous fossil fuels and the only way you are going to have any fuel under your control is to have your own renewables and that is something the steering group wants.’
In January, GE managing director Ian Watson announced that the company wanted to bring forward proposals for a major tidal turbine generation project by 2011 and to have 10% of the island’s electricity produced in that way by 2014.
The setting up of the commission now means that other companies might come forward with plans for renewables, but Mr Morris welcomed that.
‘I hope the commission will end up being the central focus for renewable energy developments in Guernsey. They have not taken away anything that Guernsey Electricity wants to do. What they have done is act as a facilitator.
‘And it’s highly likely, if any other company wanted to come to Guernsey to develop renewable energy, that we would be part of that partnership.’
Mr Morris said the company still saw tidal power as the most suitable option for Guernsey.
It already owns a minority stake in Marine Current Turbines, the company behind the SeaGen project in Strangford Lough near Belfast, which it is hoped will start feeding power to the Northern Irish grid early next month.
‘We have got the sea all around us and have tidal streams with a decent velocity. Guernsey has a workable tidal resource and there’s not a lot of those places in the world. You won’t see many in the Mediterranean, for example.’
The States will debate the policy report at the end of the month, but Mr Morris said simply approving the document would not make things happen.
‘The document itself does not do a lot.
‘It sets out the plan for investigation and further work and it won’t do anything until the research and investigation are done.
‘I hope they [States members] realise it is the beginning of some work.
‘Climate change is a bullet we really need to bite and
we need to be part of an
international effort to deal with it.’
*THE States’ energy policy is badly flawed, according to Guernsey Gas.
It believes the island is in danger of embarking on a route from which there would be no turning back.
The company said the policy would cost hundreds of millions of pounds, jeopardise energy supplies to the island and actually increase global carbon dioxide emissions.
Article posted on 16th June, 2008 - 2.29pm
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