Jersey could have wind farm "within eight years"

Tuesday 06 June 2023

The Government has been "approached by several different companies" about funding the development of an offshore wind farm, the Environment Minister has said.

Deputy Jonathan Renouf said that Jersey remains "very committed" to a wind farm project and that the island could see a completed site within six to eight years.

Last week, an industry giant visited Guernsey to explore the "opportunity" for a similar project in their waters.

In Jersey, the Carbon Neutral Roadmap says that work would begin on an offshore wind farm system between 2030 and 2040.

From 2040 to 2050, half of Jersey’s electricity would come from renewable energy generated in the island’s territory.

Deputy Renouf said his team were on track, if not ahead, of that timeline.

He said: "If we go ahead, we will certainly still do so before 2030. Six to eight years is the rough period of time it takes from the moment a wind farm is approved, so we could have one within eight years."

The Environment Minister added: "This remains a very active area of consideration. While there is significant wind potential, and we have a wind regime that is favourable, that is not the only factor that is relevant. We also need to know about impact on the seabed and navigation areas."

Pictured: Deputy Renouf has previously expressed his support for a wind farm in Jersey's territorial waters.

Deputy Renouf said that the Marine Spatial Plan, which is due to be released later this year, will "help to scope out consenting framework" and "identify some of those issues to do with location and size".

"We have to have answered some of those questions before we move forward and we are not yet in a position to have answered them," he added.

Deputy Renouf also revealed that the Government has "been approached by several different companies, and had discussion with them at various levels".

He said: "I am confident that there is interest in it. Whether that will materialise into a fully-fledged proposal, we don't know at this stage."

Following an invite from Guernsey's Offshore Wind Opportunities 'Task and Finish Group', Equinor – a Norway-based renewables firm which is helping to construct the world's largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea – spent two days in Guernsey last week engaging in discussions with the relevant parties that would need to be involved in the project.

However, no formal application from Equinor has yet been submitted.

While Deputy Renouf said he had not been involved in the talks, he said that "wind is certainly on the agenda" for upcoming meetings with representatives from Guernsey.

Pictured: A "full-scale offshore renewable energy generation scheme" was included in the Bridging Island Plan, with potential locations off the south-west of the island.

He added: "If we can make everything line up and have a project that works for us both at the same time, that would be great. Different factors are at play in each jurisdiction, so it's not a guarantee that we would work together on this.

"Wind is a phenomenal opportunity for Jersey, but we have to get it right. It has to feel like a very clear proposition, what, why, and how we approach it in a way which is professional and serious, that gives the feeling to foreign investors who will be funding this that they are dealing with people who are reliable partners."

A wind farm within the island's territorial waters was first floated in 2015 when the Crown relinquished its ownership of the foreshore and seabed.

An Offshore Wind Pre-Feasibility Study later found that Jersey had "significant offshore wind potential" and that extracting energy from 5% of the Island's waters would meet over three times Jersey's current annual demand.