Serious electricity outages hit Jersey, Channel Islands
Electricity in Jersey was disrupted for the second time in a week on 28 September because of problems with supplies from France. Although only western parts of the island were hit on this occasion, two days previously about 10,000 homes were cut off across the island, as was Guernsey and parts of Normandy.
The Jersey Electricity Company, which is responsible for distribution within the island, is waiting for a French investigation into the problem, which seems to have been caused by a breakdown in the overhead network in France. The last time that there were serious problems in Jersey was in 2007.
Jersey’s main local supply of electricity comes from the plant at La Collette near the island’s harbour in St Helier. However this is not enough to cover all the island’s needs and therefore most of its electricity is imported from France.
Jersey and Guernsey are both linked to the French grid through the Channel Islands Electricity Grid (CIEG) which was constructed 11 years ago. Last year, on the 10th anniversary of CIEG, it was annouced that during the ten-year period France had exported €500 million worth of electricity to the Channel Islands.
The two islands are now working on projects to use the sea and wind (tides and currents in the region are among the most powerful in the world) as alternative sources of energy. In July 2011 ministers from Great Britain, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands signed an agreement to work together on projects to develop the use of renewable sources of energy in the Irish Sea and around the Channel Islands.
Guernsey has recently announced that it aims to have 20 per cent of the island’s energy generated by renewable sources in eight years’ time.
City Guides
