Jersey could export wind energy in bid to boost economy

Jersey's government has indicated exporting renewable energy could be a way of boosting the island's productivity and economy.

Speaking at a business forum yesterday (Wednesday 14 June), Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel said he was looking at developing new industries.

The island has "regulatory agility", he says, which means there's a chance to "harness our natural resources to produce and sell renewable energy."

At current prices, he estimates this could add hundreds of millions of pounds to Jersey's economy.

He added: "At the moment, we're focusing principally on wind energy but obviously there is solar, there is potentially tidal energy as we go into the future.

"At the moment, we know wind is economically viable and we know that Jersey has the wind resources that it needs.

"So we're starting with wind energy but in the future, long after I'm gone from this job we may move into other areas too."

This announcement comes a few days after a government report warning that Jersey would need a population of around 150,000 by 2040 to ensure living standards don't drop.

In order to avoid this eventuality, the government says it's developing a "range of positive measures to improve current levels of economic activity" without relying solely on inward migration.

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