Mixed Reaction To Jersey Wind Farm News

One deputy says it's exciting news for all the islands, another says Guernsey risks being left behind.

Jersey's government wants to lease its seabed to a private developer who would build an offshore wind farm in its territorial waters, south west of the island.

Jersey says the power generated could be six times that needed by the island, meaning the surplus would be available to sell, potentially to Guernsey.

Offshore wind is one of the renewables recommended in Guernsey's Electricity Strategy which was passed by the States earlier this autumn.

Environment and Infrastructure president, Lindsay de Sausmarez, says she's been in dialogue with Jersey and thinks it will be beneficial for the islands:

"I am very excited by the potential. It's certainly worth exploring the opportunity of working in tandem with Jersey, or potentially with them in some respect, because they are looking at that bigger commercially sized array.

But at the end of the day, we need to make a decision that is in the best interest of Guernsey people."

Deputy Carl Meerveld has invested much of his time over the past year investigating the possibility of Guernsey getting a developer to lease part of the seabed and build a wind farm that could bring in millions in revenue. His ideas are remarkably similar to the concept that Jersey's States may pursue. He says he knew about Jersey's plans and worries that Guernsey isn't acting fast enough:

"I am concerned that if Jersey goes to market before we do that theirs will be done first.

And there is a supply chain issue here, it's availability, not just of the turbines but also the ships that are required to install them -  they'll get booked up decades in advance."

Until recently, deputy Meerveld led a sub committee of Policy and Resources looking at wind farm technology. The senior committee sacked him from that role, saying his views of the potential money making value of the venture were at odds with the rest of the committee.