ISLANDERS were denied cheaper electricity when a bid by the JEC to buy at the same price as French retail suppliers was blocked.
The price of electricity in wholesale markets around the world has risen by 80 per cent in the last 12 months but French consumers have had increases pegged at the rate of inflation.
That is because Electricité de France produces its power from nuclear and hydro power rather than oil and gas.
The French company has been selling its power on world markets at the higher prices but has not seen any significant increase in the cost of generation.
And as a result the French government stepped in to peg EdF increases in France to the rate of inflation to both cushion consumers from soaring rises and make its heavy industry-based economy more competitive.
Pictured: The JEC power station at La Collette, which generates a tiny fraction of the Island’s electricity
Article posted on 23rd August, 2008 - 9.59am
6 Article Comments
How mean is that? Who was it blocked by?
I thought the whole point of the link to France was so that Jersey could benefit from French Nuclear and Hydro power. It is not much of a benefit if France insists on charging us the same as fossil fuel generated electricity!
People don’t realise that Nuclear stations cannot be switched on and off. While the power output is fairly constant, the consumption varies wildly during the day. Where does the excess power go? Into warming up the sea. It is surely not beyond the wit of engineers to make sure that Jersey’s storage heaters come on at that time to use up the waste.
That gives me an idea. What about if all Jersey people had the option of becoming direct customers of EDF? Okay, we would have to pay our bills in Euros, but this would work out cheaper than this present system.
Radical talk Mr Knight; and half way right. As you suggest the JEC interconnection with France should gives us direct access to France power supplies; both carbon free nuclear and dirty carbon polluting.
What people must realize is that EDF is a UK solution, and transnational competition is a Europe Commission problem.
Like it or not, Jersey is in Europe but not part of the Europe; a complex problem that goes back to 1208, and all that.
This highlights difficulties that Jersey has being one supplier of energy.
Could there possibly be a way of joining with Guernsey to link to UK power?
That is a good idea Mr Buckingham.
Sadly, it has little effect on our electricity prices, but Jersey is already indirectly linked to UK power.
I refer of course to the 2GW direct current link from the UK to France. The UK is now so short of cheap electricity that virtually all the current flow is from France to UK.
If it is cheaper for the UK to buy from France than to generate itself, then there is no way they could sell to us any cheaper than EDF.
(Unless of course France offers the UK a much better deal than it offers poor old Jersey. I wouldn’t put it past them!)
If only we had some sort of natural power-generating resource on our doorstep…like the Alderney races!
We could do a deal with someone like Tom Pickens to put in tidal and wind power generators in the next 5 to 10 years and despite some immediate and short-term price rises, we would “generate” (excuse the pun) as much revenue as the finance industry when we sell our surpluses to the French down the same lines we used to receive it along.
As well as possibly making economic and ecological sense there would be a certain poetic justice in it!
Alphonse well said. Yes we do have a natural resource. The tidal race around our south east coast is considerable, may be not up to the standard of Alderney but far more predictable than the wind and hidden from view. Anybody who does not believe me should come down to St Clement on a still night, at half tide, and listen to the rear.
We are a rich island, compared to most, we all need to stop talking ‘green’ and put our money where our mouth is.
Let’s all pester for change.