Deputy Reports Progress on Wind Farm Proposals

Deputy Carl Meerveld, a member of the offshore wind sub-committee, indicated that proposals for wind power in Guernsey are expected to be presented to the States in January next year. Speaking at an energy and economy meeting, Deputy Meerveld stated that the island was “closer” to implementing wind power. He elaborated on the island’s advantages, saying: “Anybody who lives here knows we have wind, and it blows very frequently… also we are statically located between England and France, two major markets that we have the opportunity to export to.” Mark Leybourne, co-founder of Dyna Energy, affirmed that the island holds a “great opportunity” for generating wind power. Mr. Leybourne commented: “There is a lot to do but it is achievable.” He added that the focus is on “showing what the opportunity is for the islands, whether it is electricity or economy, how the island can go about getting hold of that opportunity and delivering it for the benefit of the islanders.” Meerveld further explained the dual approach Guernsey is considering for wind farms: “There are two elements to what Guernsey is looking at in the way of wind farms. “There is electricity strategy which is looking at a small installation for Guernsey supply, but the offshore wind group is looking at a pure export utility scale wind farm, exporting all of the energy to England and north France to earn money for the islands.”