Environment
Island May Get Power From Offshore
Orsted’s island-based development director John Galloway was speaking at he prepares for a series of roadshow events across the island
Islanders may receive power from a proposed new wind farm off the coast of Maughold, but talks are at an early stage.
Orsted’s island-based development director John Galloway was speaking at he prepares for a series of roadshow events across the island for the Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm.
When the gov first sought to lease part of the island’s sea bed to Orsted (then called Dong) in 2015, the plan had been to export all of the energy into the UK market, with the island receiving a percentage of the revenue.
This week Mr Galloway said that while this is still the intention for the ‘majority’ of the electricity that Orsted plans to generate off the Maughold coast, the company is open to some of it coming onshore here.
He said: ‘The original plan back in 2015, that the government had in mind, was all that power would go to the UK and access there, that’s still going to be the case for the majority of what we’re exploring, because that’s where the demand is, of course, and that’s where the market is for renewables.
‘But we know now, with the net zero transition that is happening in the island, that there is much more expectation that there’s going to be a need for those renewables to come here.
‘So we’re exploring that with Manx Utilities, at the moment, that’s discussions that we’re having and those are very much at the early stage in terms of the technical because what you’re talking about is a capacity around the same demand of the island that we could provide from that link that we would build.
‘So what they’ve got to start to design around is that that could be a base load, and then other renewables that are coming on the system, perhaps sooner than we will be will have to be accommodated as well.’
John added that while the plan is still to send the majority of the electricity to the UK and for the island to benefit from revenue and taxation, it is ‘certainly hoping’ to explore bringing some power to the island.
Engagement
Orsted is running engagement events for people to ask questions and raises concerns about the Mooir Vannin Offshore Wind Farm which are:
They all run from 2.30pm to 7pm and are on a ‘drop in’ basis, so there’s no need to register in advance.
- Monday November 20: Laxey – The Laxey Glen Pavilion, The Laxey Glen
- Tuesday November 21: Ramsey – Milntown House, Lezayre Road,
- Wednesday November 22: Peel – Kelvin Dawson Community Hub, Peel Football Club, Douglas Road
- Thursday November 23: Port Erin – Erin Arts Centre, Victoria Square
- Saturday November 24: Douglas – Villa Marina, Promenade Suite
