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A new £40m subsea power cable has been switched on ahead of schedule and is now supplying Guernsey with electricity via Jersey.
The operation of the Normandie 1 (N1) cable is a boost to the island’s security of electricity supply and is part of a multi-million pound asset replacement programme by Guernsey Electricity to meet current and future demand.
Work to install the 27km cable was completed ahead of schedule and has been supplying low carbon energy from France to Guernsey, via Jersey, since December.
Sally-Ann David, asset management director of Guernsey Electricity, said the switch-on of the 100MW cable was positive news for the island.
‘Guernsey Electricity is focused on providing a reliable service, ensuring security of supply and reducing carbon emissions. Normandie 1 is an important milestone in this ongoing work. With our existing subsea connections, we can now import up to 95 percent of our energy demand – which improves our resilience and flexibility as a community,’ said Mrs David.
She added: ‘It was a pleasure to work with our colleagues at Jersey Electricity to get Normandie 1 into operation, with Guernsey Electricity jointly funding the £40m programme to manufacture and install the cable.’
The N1 cable follows the same route as the decommissioned interconnector EDF1 from St Remy Des Landes in Normandy, to Archirondel in Jersey. The marine installation of the subsea cable took just six days last August and it was laid on the seabed rather than ploughed in beneath it.
Following extensive preparatory works and testing in France and Jersey, the N1 cable was energised for 24 hours on 30 November last year. It was then fully commissioned on 1 December, with the cable continuously monitored since then.
