From Howard Morris.
AS the saying goes – ‘you really couldn’t make it up, could you?’
In the same week that the Swedish government throws out the greens and abandons their net-zero carbon targets, and the Germans demolish a wind farm to make way for expanding a mine to feed their coal-fired power plants in order to make sure that the lights don’t go out this winter (largely unreported, of course, by our mainstream BBC, Sky and newspaper media since it doesn’t fit their climate-change narrative), Deputy Jonathan Renouf starts to soften us all up for a massive new wind farm off Jersey’s shore. The capital spends and maintenance costs will be in the billions, although he tells Channel ITV that the taxpayers need not worry because it will be ‘privately financed’. Pull the other one, Deputy Renouf – it’s got bells on.
May I respectfully suggest that Chief Minister Kristina Moore‘s first and only legal responsibility for the foreseeable future regarding Jersey’s energy supply, and our energy independence, is to ensure that La Collette and its Sulzer, Rolls-Royce Olympus diesel engines and Parson’s turbines are properly maintained and that there is at least one year’s reserve of diesel fuel and gas storage ready for any interruption in the French nuclear supply, howsoever that might be caused. That reserve requirement is urgent and should be keeping States Members awake at night, not dreaming about spending billions on futile nonsense about saving the planet, which all electricity users, private and business, will ultimately be forced to pay for.
Climate changes naturally, principally because of planetary motion, well beyond the influence of our politicians, but their religious zealotry on this subject betrays a deeper human weakness – an irresistible urge among many to abuse the power given to them at the ballot box so as to control and exploit people, some for the basest of motives, social engineering and financial gain.
Response from Deputy Jonathan Renouf, Environment Minister.
ANY proposal to build an offshore wind farm in Jersey’s waters would only be approved if it made economic sense to do so.
In this context it is worth noting that offshore wind contracts awarded this year in the UK are to supply electricity at prices that are up to nine times lower than newly built gas-fired power stations (depending on the price of gas). Offshore wind prices will also be roughly half the price of electricity from Hinkley Point, the UK’s newest nuclear power station (currently under construction). The reason I am keen to explore the opportunity for wind-powered generation in our waters is that it is potentially a win-win: good for the environment and good for the economy.
I would also note that Jersey Electricity maintain on-Island electricity generation – principally at La Collette – as an ‘always ready’ back-up supply in the unlikely event of disruption to French electricity supplies to the Island.
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