Plans to build large solar farm at St Mary paused

Plans to build a large solar farm in St Mary have been paused, Jersey Electricity has confirmed.

The company withdrew its planning application to install 9,000 panels at Champs Verts in early 2025 after opposition from local residents.

On Monday it revealed the project was "under review" as part of a wider reassessment of the company's Solar 5000 programme, which aims to generate 25 megawatts of local solar power by 2027.

Jersey Electricity said it was "committed to supporting an informed discussion about the island's future energy resilience".

Last month, plans to build a solar farm at the Belle Fontaine site in St Martin were scrapped after a public consultation and discussions with the Crown which owns the land.

Campaigners have since been pushing to find out the future of the plans at St Mary.

"Residents now deserve to be told if Jersey Electricity intends to go ahead or if this scheme, like the one in St Martin, is to be abandoned," said William Layzell, who leads a campaign group against the plans called Save This View.

He added: "No doubt these are questions which will be asked during the election campaign in May.

"Candidates, and States Members will want to know how much Jersey Electricity has spent on these two schemes, one scrapped, the other unlikely to go ahead."

Jersey Electricity said: "Solar generation remains an important part of improving the resilience and diversity of Jersey's electricity supply.

"As a publicly listed company with the States of Jersey as majority shareholder, Jersey Electricity will continue to engage constructively with government, parishes and local communities as the Island considers its long-term energy strategy."

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