Important island 'not left behind' on climate

The island has already committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050

It is vital the Isle of Man is not left behind when taking steps towards renewable energy, the environment minister has said.

The Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture's (Defa) Energy Strategy 2023 was backed by Tynwald on Wednesday.

Defa Minister Clare Barber described the document as a framework for "a more sustainable future" and said future annual updates would provide "much more detail" on the "road map towards net-zero".

But some MHKs criticised the plans for not including budgets or precise outcomes.

The government's green energy targets include decarbonising the island's electricity supply by 2030, by introducing a second interconnector cable to the UK to import and export energy and the generation of an extra 30 megawatts of renewable electricity locally by 2026.

Debating the plan during the January sitting of the Manx parliament, some politicians called for greater clarity on the benefits and challenges of a second interconnector.

Stu Peters MHK said while he was in favour of "clean and green energy", policy should focus on affordability and "not an ideological and completely unachievable desire to save the planet".

'Crucial buffer'

But chairman Manx Utilities John Wannenburgh said although the targets were "challenging" the government-owned firm was "resolute in delivering high quality energy infrastructure" for the island.

He confirmed the company, which has been tasked with progressing green energy projects including plans for an onshore wind farm, would be seeking funding from the court for "some of our programme" in 2024.

Ms Barber said the strategy provided "certainty over the island's direction of travel" as "the status quo of our energy system is simply no longer tenable".

She said having on-island renewable energy sources would "provide a crucial buffer against future fossil fuel driven price rises" and the moves were "vital" when contributing to tackling climate change and "becoming more energy independent".

The strategy's development will be overseen by the Energy Policy Board and updated annually, with the first report expected in July 2024.