News

DEMAND for electricity hit an all time high this week as islanders battled against the current cold snap.

The new peak of 76.3 megawatts (MW) was recorded at 6.00pm on Wednesday, which is more than 7% higher than January’s previous record of 71.3MW.

Guernsey Electricity engineering director Steve Morris said the sharp rise was mainly due to the increase in the number of households using electric heating. The peak could go higher still this winter, with January and February traditionally being the months that see greatest demand.

However the sharp rise in peak demand does not necessarily mean overall consumption will follow a similar trend. Although the amount of electricity supplied in Guernsey has risen by around a third in the past decade, last year saw a slight drop, largely due to the mild winter.

Mr Morris said this week’s record again underlined the important role the Vale Power Station still played. Although since the submarine cable link was introduced, in 2002, around 80% of all the island’s electricity has been imported, most of the peak demand was being met using local generation due to the limitations of the import network.

Nevertheless the high proportion of imported power from low or zero carbon sources has meant a significant reduction in the island’s carbon footprint.

‘In the past we were entirely reliant on oil for all our requirements, but with the contribution that the cable link makes, electricity is now a far cleaner source of energy locally. As far as tackling global carbon emissions is concerned, that is obviously very welcome,’ he said.

‘The balance between import and generation varies, but the amount that we can currently draw through the cable link is considerably lower than we need to supply at this time of year. The power station is not just a back-up, it makes a vital contribution to the island’s supply.’

The early evening peak coincides with many islanders arriving home and switching on heating and other domestic appliances. At the same time local businesses are still consuming a relatively large amount of power.

The minimum overnight demand between Wednesday and Thursday was 36MW. This compares to a typical figure of about 12MW in the late 1970’s.

Mr Morris said this was further evidence of the increased use of electric storage heating, which typically operates overnight. It was also significant as far as Guernsey’s power supply was concerned.

‘30 years ago the demand in the winter would have peaked at around 50MW, and fallen to something like 12MW overnight. That’s about a four to one ratio, compared to around two to one now,’ he said.

‘While increased consumption is not necessarily welcome, it does demonstrate that the island is getting much better use from the capital employed in our generation and network assets. Obviously that is more efficient, and provided islanders use the energy wisely then this is clearly a benefit and helps us to contain costs.’