Wind farm would need 100 turbines - energy boss

A report found building an offshore wind farm off Guernsey could lower bills

A Norwegian energy company "exploring the possibility" of an offshore wind farm off Guernsey says it would need at least 100 wind turbines to make it affordable.

Halfdan Brustad, vice-president for UK renewables at Equinor, said a large-scale farm makes the most sense economically.

He said surplus wind energy would then need to be sold to either the UK or France.

Equinor representatives are in Guernsey to meet politicians following an invite by the Offshore Wind Opportunities Task and Finish Group.

Mr Brustad said the firm was "exploring the opportunity" for an offshore wind farm off Guernsey, but no formal application to build one has been submitted.

Last year, a States report said a windfarm off Guernsey's coast could reduce bills and make millions of pounds through renewable energy.

It found excess energy could be sold to other jurisdictions, lowering bills and making significant profit.

Mr Brustad said Guernsey would only take a "small portion" of the 1.5 gigawatts of electricity generated by 100 turbines, located six to 12 miles (10km to 19km) off the coast.

"You need to have scale," he said.

"That means Guernsey will not take all of it, it will take a small portion, so you need to have a route to a larger market where you can export most of the power."

He said a buyer at the right price level would then need to be found.

"If you don't have a route to market, that is the biggest downside," he added.