Lightbulb moment: Corbière in need of lamp revamp

Monday 12 November 2018

Plans to modernise the way Corbière illuminates the island’s perilous west coast will finally answer the age-old question: how many Planning officers does it take to change a lightbulb?

Corbière lighthouse - whose light is visible for 18 miles in clear weather - could receive a much-needed upgrade if a planning application to remove dangerous mercury from the beacon and replace it with a modern LED lamp is approved.

Ports of Jersey, who are responsible for maintaining the 10-metre structure, put forward the proposals due to health and safety concerns surrounding the mercury bath currently in place, as well as uncertainty surrounding how long the current lighting system can be maintained.

Corbière, which was built in 1873 and was the world's first concrete lighthouse, currently operates with a 1,000-watt lamp floated on a small mercury bath – a mechanism becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

Pictured: According to the Ports of Jersey, the current system of using an aluminium halide lamp is becoming harder to sustain as LED technology advances. (Ports of Jersey)

A report submitted as part of the planning application explained: “The current aluminium halide lamps are becoming increasingly difficult to source. The last supply were ordered from the United States and there is no guarantee how long these lamps will be available for."

It also highlighted concerns about the risk posed by the mercury bath: “The mercury contained in the lamp room also requires removal on health and safety ground[s]. Most other lighthouse authorities are taking similar steps to remove mercury from lighthouses. This has predominantly been made possible due to advancements in LED technology.”

The Planning Department will now have to decide whether to grant the application, which would require “specialist contractors” to empty the mercury bath, the removal of the current lamp and its shutter, as well as the installation of the new LED light source.