Third Jersey-France electricity cable work begins

The 2,500 tonne cable will be laid along its 32km route by the specialist barge Cable Enterprise

Work to install Jersey's third undersea electricity cable to France has begun.

The Normandie 3, which will import electricity to Jersey, is being lowered overboard and buried 6.6ft (2m) beneath the seabed.

It weighs 2,500 tonnes, costs £40m and is expected to reach Longbeach in Grouville at the beginning of June.

Jersey Electricity said the cable would help meet the island's power needs for the foreseeable future. It is expected to be ready for use by 2015.

A 19km (12 mile) cable has already been laid to Armanville Beach from the 400kV substation at Periers, which will connect the cable to the French network.

Since the Normandie 1 cable failed in 2012, both Guernsey and Jersey Electricity have been forced to produce more energy on island by burning fossil fuels.

The third cable will allow both companies to increase the amount of electricity they import. For Guernsey Electricity it is expected to rise from about 30% of supply to nearly 90%.

The Cable Enterprise is a specialist barge being used to lay the third Jersey-France electricity cable

Chris Ambler, Jersey Electricity chief executive officer, said: "Not only will these links guarantee Jersey a long-term low carbon future, when large-scale renewables such as offshore wind or tidal become viable, they could facilitate the exportation of power from Jersey."

The work on both cables is being funded by the Channel Islands Electricity Grid, which was set up by Guernsey and Jersey Electricity to install and manage the undersea cables between France and the islands.