Attempts to delay Electricity Strategy a signal of the "States of Inaction" according to E&I President

Monday 03 July 2023

Deputies Bob Murray and Sam Haskins want to delay any debate on the island's electricity strategy until September - arguing that the Strategy is so important that delaying the debate by two months will allow a more informed debate and decision to be made.

The lead politician behind the strategy - Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez has said it's another sign of the 'States of Inaction', accusing Deputy Murray of being determined to make that label stick.

Deputy de Sausmarez's Environment and Infrastructure Committee published its long-awaited electricity strategy last month, with the debate scheduled to start on Wednesday.

The strategy - which promotes the growth of local expertise in renewables - has had some support from industry partners including Guernsey Electricity and the Little Green Energy Company.

Now, with efforts to push the debate back to September, delaying any decision on the proposed multi-million pound investment plans, Deputy de Sausamarez said "you couldn't make it up".

You couldn't make this up... The States recently voted to avoid unnecessary delay and debate the Electricity Strategy this week, but Dep Murray wants to lay a delaying motion (sursis) when we start debating it! He seems determined to make the "States of Inaction" label stick. https://t.co/wEQkyoqOz4

— Lindsay de Sausmarez (@Lindsay_Gsy) July 3, 2023

Deputies Murray and Haskins acknowledge that their sursis has been lodged at very short notice, with the debate due to start in two days. 

"Regrettably, (but to further underscore the need to move the timing of the debate), there has been insufficient time to interact with stakeholders in advance of submitting this sursis," they wrote in their document which can be read in full HERE. 

The pair said a sursis is needed because "the Electricity Strategy proposals are of significant importance to the island’s future" and that "if adopted as proposed, the direction of travel for the sourcing, delivery and cost of electricity supply will be established for decades to come. It is therefore essential that the Assembly be as fully informed as they can possibly be about the resource implications that will emanate from any decisions made as a consequence of its debate".

Deputy Haskins used to be the Vice President of E&I, while Deputy Murray has been critical of the relevance of climate change to political policy in the past.

Pictured: Deputy Murray's views on climate change hit the headlines last summer.

Express spoke to Deputy Murray following his States’ vote against appointing a panel of experts to help Guernsey achieve “net zero” last July.

“Weather and climate change are not the same thing at all," he said. "An isolated weather incident does not make a climate, it does not indicate climate change."

Deputy Murray argues that the popular narrative is “utter nonsense” and while there are parts of it that are provable, there are huge parts that are actually unproven or at odds with historic data.

“This is not my opinion, this is something you can find in scientific journals and books. If you want to look, but most people don’t.”

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