Jersey company keen to exploit CI wind potential

Dyna Energy is eyeing with interest the moves by Guernsey and Jersey to develop offshore wind farms.

Founder and CEO Mark Leybourne has moved back to Jersey, but his company operates globally in the creation of wind farms.

He says both islands have the right ingredients to attract wind farm developers:

"There's a lot of offshore wind being developed around Europe, it's a big growing industry and there's a lot of demand from our neighbours in the UK and France for offshore wind.

"Guernsey is very well-placed because it's got excellent natural conditions for offshore wind because it's windy, the sea depth isn't too deep and a there's a large area of sea that could be used to generate electricity from the wind and export that for profit and revenue for the island."

Jersey's government has already agreed to the principle of developing a wind farm in its south western territorial waters. Guernsey has carried out work and now wants £1.3M more to continue investigating the framework and permissions needed for development.

Mark Leybourne says that is important:

"It's the right approach. All countries that have done it so far have taken that approach.

"An investor would want to see that a government has got a credible plan and the right regulatory framework in place. They have to have some level of certainty. It's good government has done its homework.

"These are long, very expensive projects and it takes quite a bit of effort from the public and private sector to make it work. Government's done a reasonable job so far of getting the plans together."

He explains Dyna Energy's potential role:

"We would be a partner, we would be involved and leading it, taking the responsibility for it. Ultimately it would be a utility that comes and brings the hundreds of millions of equity and debt to build it. Our role would be to lead it all locally, particularly through the environmental and social permitting and planning permissions."

Mark Leybourne says the two islands have 'synergies' but sees the approaches to developers being separate:

"If you tie them together too closely that brings in big risks if say, one project doesn't get planning permission and the other does."

He says the French are interested in developing their offshore wind potential:

"They've got to build the equivalent of another 80 offshore farms like St Brieuc by 2050. There's limited space because a lot of their water is very deep, they'd have to go for floating wind which is more expensive, so actually the conditions around the Channel Islands are ideal for offshore wind."

He says it is important the island's economies benefit if wind power happens offshore:

"Assuming we were successful with a partner then we'd lead the development locally and make sure that we're bringing local businesses into the project and making sure islanders are well represented."