Third Jersey power cable gets official switch-on

A 2,500 tonne cable was laid along its 32km subsea route by a specialist barge

Jersey's third undersea cable bringing electricity from France has been officially switched on.

The £70m Normandie 3 will help meet the island's power needs for the "foreseeable future", said Jersey Electricity.

The island had been relying on power from diesel generators and a second cable after the first subsea link failed permanently in 2012.

The 32km (20 mile) cable links Jersey to a substation at Periers.

'Greater security'

The symbolic switching on, by Jean-Louis Muscagorry of Réseau Transport d'Électricité (RTE), came three months after the cable started bringing power to Jersey.

It also brings power to neighbouring Guernsey via another cable from Jersey.

Jersey Electricity chief executive Chris Ambler said: "Islanders and businesses can be assured of even greater security of supply coupled with more affordable and stable pricing."

The work 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.