Islanders weigh in on potential future wind farm plans

An offshore wind farm off the south-west coast was proposed to generate "around six times" Jersey's current electricity demand

A proposal to create an offshore wind farm off Jersey's coast is due to be debated by the island's government this week.

An offshore wind farm off the south-west coast was proposed in 2023 to generate "around six times" the island's current electricity demand.

Islanders have weighed in on the plans, with one saying it could be an "incredible opportunity".

Deputy Steve Luce, Minister for the Environment, said though originally sceptical he was now a supporter.

The public consultation showed more than 70% of people were "in favour".

Mr Luce said he was now "much more comfortable about attempting to persuade the States Assembly" to approve the proposition.

Mark Leybourne said he believed it was an "incredible opportunity for Jersey"

Jersey-born Mark Leybourne has 16 years of experience in the offshore wind sector.

He said he recently founded a company in Jersey with the aim of forming a partnership with a larger international organisation to help provide local knowledge.

Mr Leybourne said he believed it was an "incredible opportunity for Jersey".

He said: "We need renewable energy to help decarbonise our economies, we need to move to net zero, what this does is give another option for the island.

"We've already had energy security issues with France in the past and this is an issue that is global at the moment - every country is thinking about its future energy security and independence."

Mr Leybourne said the investment would be estimated at about £3bn.

He said a connection to France would still be needed for energy security and if excess capacity was to be sold into the European grid.

Mr Leybourne said the scale of the project was "so large that the capital cost would be about half the GDP of the island".

"That would be a huge amount of finance that the government would have to find for a project - even a small part of that and with its investment would also come the risk and the liability that the government and the taxpayers would all have to take," he said.

'Likely exported'

Chris Ambler, chief executive of Jersey Electricity (JE), said the island could benefit from the green energy, but that it depended on where the power was brought ashore.

He said: "You're only going to achieve that diversification if we beach some of the power into Jersey.

"The vast majority of the power is likely to be exported into the bigger jurisdictions - into the bigger markets, but we think there is a very strong energy independence case for beaching power directly into the island."

Mr Ambler said there was the possibility of partial ownership, and that JE had "considerable expertise" in bringing power ashore by cable onto the island.

He added JE was "very keen to be involved".

Max Boleat said businesses in Jersey were "ready to take that next step" to help

Max Boleat, owner of Water Taxis CI, said there could be opportunities to upskill local people to service the wind farm in operation.

He said: "There's businesses here that are ready to take that next step and that leap in towards the industry and prepare themselves for this.

Bob Tompkins, an environmentalist, said the proposed area for the wind farm was not a good location for marine wildlife.

He said: "It's a very productive commercial fishing area and you've got a lot of cetacean movement, dolphins and so on through that area as well, so you've got to start looking at what the impact on all these sections are.

"The more that you look into it, the more complex it becomes."

Mick Dryden, the chairman of ornithology section for La Société Jersiaise, said the wind farm could also affect birds.

He said: "The proposals have put this projected windfarm in the worst possible place for birds - especially sea birds but also land birds that are on migration.

"We will be doing serious damage, and I mean serious damage, to the chances of the birds in this area."

States members are due to start debating the wind farm proposals on Tuesday.