Plan for Guernsey energy needs delayed again

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, said the new delay was to consider "additional modelling"

A plan for Guernsey's future energy needs has been delayed again.

The Committee for Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) had originally planned to publish the plan in December 2022.

Earlier this year, it revised its timeline to before March, but the new strategy is now due to be published on or before 5 May 2023.

E&I President, Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, said the new delay was to consider "additional modelling".

She said: "To ensure that the Electricity Strategy achieves its purpose, we requested additional modelling and information.

"It means that we're currently expecting to publish the Electricity Strategy on or before 5 May in time for it to be considered by the States at the meeting at the start of July.

"This additional work will also help us in addressing some of the questions raised through our ongoing engagement with industry representatives."

'Supply is affordable'

Mrs de Sausmarez said it was one of the big priorities for her committee, so it was important to get it right.

She said: "With our demand for electricity increasing, we have to address the question of how we can meet this growing demand whilst ensuring that our supply is affordable, secure and limits our impact on the environment.

"We've engaged with the energy industry, the regulator and business stakeholders to make sure that the electricity strategy provides this balanced and effective way forward to meet our future demand."

The new strategy will look at Guernsey's transition to net-zero.

In August 2020, the climate change policy for Guernsey was approved, which set the target to be carbon neutral by 2050.

It also sets an interim target of a 57% reduction on 1990 emissions levels by 2030.

Sam Hamperl, one of Second Meridian's founders, said: "It's really important businesses think about the environment"

Local nano brewery Second Meridian has recently started using solar power.

The company, which supplies beer to local restaurants, started as a hobby with four friends brewing beer in their house.

'Need a planet to drink beer'

One of the company's founders Sam Hamperl said: "We have to heat up a lot of water and it takes a lot of energy to heat the water we need.

"Our plan from the start was to see how we could do that using renewable sources. When we aren't brewing, all the electricity we generate will be going back to the grid."

"It's really important businesses think about the environment, as we need a planet to drink the beer on. Otherwise it's all a bit pointless."

But Mr Hamperl said it was "quite difficult" to source the materials needed for the solar power system, at a competitive price.

"We have plans to get more panels as at the moment we are generating about 5.5KW, it would be good to double that, so we are looking at another 16 panels which would cover us when we are brewing."

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