Select a region
Plans for a second subsea electricity cable between Guernsey and France continue to be developed, with a rough delivery deadline of 2023.
It could cost up to £100million pounds to deliver a second cable link - known as GF1 - but Guernsey Electricity said it would bring huge benefits.
The question of a second subsea link to the continent grid has come back into the spotlight after an island wide power cut this week followed by a number of more isolated outages over the following 24 hours.
The island wide power cut lasted 42 minutes and caused traffic jams as office workers all headed home at the same time when their computers shut down. Swimming lessons and other activities were also cancelled due to health and safety and many peoples' dinners would have been ruined. More seriously there was a three car collision at the Admiral Park traffic lights, which had turned off during Monday evening's power cut - but luckily no one was seriously hurt. The Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service was kept busy as crews responded to a series of automatic alarms which sounded across the island.
While all that was going on, Guernsey Electricity's engineers got straight to work to switch the island back on - which they did quickly with everyone getting power back within an hour.
Pictured: Guernsey Electricity's HQ on North Side, Vale.
Guernsey Electriciy quickly confirmed that the problem which caused the island wide power cut had been with the cable link with Jersey and France, later explaining that it was the "cable protection system for the electricity link between Guernsey and Jersey (GJ1)" that had been at fault, which had in turn, "turned the cable off."
The cable link is staying off while the investigation into what happened continues in more detail and until it's switched back on, the power station will be generating electricity on island.
A spokesman for the utility firm also said the island wide power cut proves the need for a second subsea electricity cable connection between the island and France, explaining, "this will allow us to achieve our aim of providing a secure, sustainable and affordable electricity supply to the island.
"Guernsey Electricity continues to progress a second cable connection direct to France."
The spokesman said having a second connection with France would also allow "the transition of energy supply from hydrocarbon sources towards more local renewable generation. Both of these matters form an extremely important part of the Energy Policy development which is currently underway for the island."
Pictured: Guernsey Electricity has been open about its desire to put down a second cable link with France.
Guernsey Electricity went public on its hopes for a second cable link with France some years ago, and since then, the 'Guernsey France One' (GF1) project has been led by the utility firm with other interested parties, including Réseau de Transport d'Electricite (RTE).
If the plans come to fruition, we could see a 100kV cable laid, with a new substation in Guernsey, and connections into the electricity grids at each end.
The land route in France would be developed, permitted and installed by RTE according to information available on Guernsey Electricity's website.
Pictured: Guernsey Electricity's MD Alan Bates.
Guernsey Electricity has previously said, and again repeated, that "energy policy direction, including the islands' environmental aspirations, remains very important in setting the direction of travel for infrastructure investments. Early energy policy direction is particularly important for reaching a decision on making what will be the company’s largest ever capital investment, in a direct subsea cable to France."
If GF1 is laid, Guernsey Electricity said it would "enhance electricity security and increase the capacity to access affordable low carbon electricity."
It would offer a maximum potential of 100MW, meaning the proposed GF1 cable would "help safeguard future power supply to Guernsey and increase the possibility of supplying the entire island with imported low-carbon energy, minimising local generation and hence emissions."
However, Guernsey Electricity acknowledges these improvements would have to be balanced against the cost of the project and any potential impact on tariff evolution.
More information on the plans for GF1 are likely to be available once the results of a detailed marine route selection assessment have been evaluated.
No reason has yet been given for the smaller power cuts affecting areas including St Martin's and the Castel which happened on Tuesday lunchtime and Tuesday evening.
Pictured top: The possible route GF1 would take to connect Guernsey and France.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.