Opponents ask if St Mary solar plans have been 'abandoned'

Tuesday, 17 March 2026 at 09:45

Campaigners say the St Mary solar farm looks 'unlikely to go ahead', as JE says the plans are 'under review'.

Jersey Electricity has not confirmed if the Champs Verts solar farm plans have been abandoned, more than a year after the application was withdrawn.

It says the plan - to install 9,000 solar panels across eight agricultural fields in St Mary - remains 'under review' as part of the wider reassessment of JE's Solar 5000 programme.

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It says it is considering and progressing rooftop installations, 'although they are not viable in every case and are typically more expensive per unit of capacity than ground-mounted schemes.'

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Campaigners say it has been nearly a year since the application for the Champs Verts plan was withdrawn.

William Layzell, who leads the group Save This View’s opposition to Champs Verts, says they want to know if it's been scrapped completely:

"Residents now deserve to be told if Jersey Electricity intends to go ahead or if this scheme, like the one in St Martin, is to be abandoned.

READ: Jersey Electricity drops St Martin solar farm idea

"No doubt these are questions which will be asked during the election campaign in May.

"Candidates and States Members will want to know how much JE has spent on these two schemes: one scrapped, the other unlikely to go ahead.”

In a statement, JE said:

Jersey Electricity has noted the comments made by campaigners regarding the proposed solar development at Champs Verts in St Mary.

The planning application for the site was withdrawn last year ad the project remains under review as part of a wider reassessment of the company's Solar 5000 programme.

Solar generation remains an important part of improving the resilience and diversity of Jersey’s electricity supply.