States face one of their biggest tests on electricity debate

Tuesday 11 October 2022

Decisions facing the States about the future supply of electricity "will be among the most important of this political term and arguably this generation", according to the President of the Committee which is leading the work.

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, pictured (top), and her Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure are finalising an electricity strategy to submit to the States' Assembly for debate in the first three months of 2023.

The local think tank GPEG recently urged the States to speed up plans for renewable energy. It is concerned about future negotiations with France failing to secure adequate electricity supply at reasonable cost through the island's cable links with Jersey and Normandy.  

And Express revealed yesterday that an independent group of 14 States' members are only days away from presenting three reports which they say will identify opportunities to develop solar, tidal and wind power and the obstacles which would need to be overcome first.

Deputy de Sausmarez told Express last night that she welcomed the input of the independent group of deputies and GPEG. She hoped the States would make decisions based on evidence and data after extensive consultation with stakeholders.

Pictured: Guernsey currently obtains most of its electricity supply from an undersea cable to Jersey, which in turn has three undersea cables to France and the European grid.

Deputy de Sausmarez said: "The energy policy [agreed in 2020] makes clear the direction of travel to net zero and sets out some important objectives: decarbonisation, security and resilience of supply, consumer value and choice, equity and fairness, a vibrant economy and greater energy independence.

"While most people would agree that these objectives are all important, there are some inherent tensions between them. The work that we are doing through the development of the electricity strategy will help to inform the States in finding the right balance. 

"While we don't have a crystal ball, we do have a lot of data on renewable energy technology and Siemens' very useful 'digital twin' that models various options to enable us to make evidence-based choices that are right for Guernsey."

Pictured: Deputies David De Lisle (left) and Carl Meerveld are among a group of deputies working outside the States' committee structure to develop ideas for progressing renewable energy in the island.

Deputy Meerveld said that the independent group of deputies was working "to review opportunities for renewable energy initiatives in a more business-like manner by identifying opportunities first [and] then considering obstacles to pursuing those opportunities, which may include States’ policies...[it's] an opposite approach to the one taken by many States' committees and civil servants, who often try to establish a policy direction and then only consider opportunities which fit with that policy direction".

He insisted they did not intend to develop an alternative electricity strategy but instead would produce reports on solar, tidal and wind power "to be presented to the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure and the Policy & Resources Committee for their consideration".

This will be a fascinating read. Odd to side step the entire electricity strategy. You can have whatever ideas you like but without the appropriate market environment to attract investment, you’ve got nothing. https://t.co/YubdSLFutP

— Simon de la Rue (@rue_simon) October 10, 2022

Pictured: Simon de la Rue, who has experience in the energy industry, tweeted after Express revealed that an independent group of deputies intend shortly to publish reports on renewable energy opportunities.

Deputy de Sausmarez said she had been aware of the independent group of deputies for several months.

"I’ve been aware of the interest shown by this group of deputies in our electricity strategy since late last year. I invited them to meet with me and the officers involved in January," she said.

"They were understandably keen to get to the stage where specific commercial opportunities could be explored, but I think that meeting helped to explain why the electricity strategy is so necessary ahead of that, as a platform on which renewable energy investment decisions can be made.

"Given the current market uncertainty, it is unlikely an investor would commit to a large-scale renewable energy project in Guernsey before the States has agreed its strategy, which will determine, among many other things, the market structure, which is vital in terms of calculating return on investment; our local renewable energy targets; and our demand projections."

Pictured: Guernsey has long had ambitions to harness tidal power from the island's seas. Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez said that investors are unlikely to back large-scale renewable schemes unless the States first agree a long-term electricity strategy. 

"The development of the electricity strategy has been thorough, detailed and necessarily highly technical in parts," said Deputy de Sausmarez.

"I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the stakeholders – from the energy industry, the business community and political colleagues – for engaging so positively and constructively on it, both with our team in the States and the experts leading the work on demand, supply and market structure.

"The decisions we will ask the States to make next year will be among the most important of this political term and arguably this generation."  

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