Analysis: More power to the islands

It’ll never be as cheap to supply energy to an island community as it is to do so on the mainland, but for all the difficulties, those living on islands are better served than ever, as Nigel Hawkins reveals.

Providing power to households on small UK islands is generally challenging, especially in deep winter. Although there is undoubted potential to generate renewable electricity from abundant resources, island power supplies are often unreliable, with bad weather a primary cause.

Back in 1930, the few remaining inhabitants found life on the remote island of St Kilda unbearable, and they all left for the mainland. One of St Kilda’s modern-day counterparts is the tiny island of Linga in the Shetland Islands archipelago. It has neither electricity nor potable water, but there are plans to install a small windmill and solar panels along with new sewage and rain-water capture systems.

By contrast, larger islands are generally supplied by existing power plants and often have subsea energy links.

The Shetlands Islands, however, which have become synonymous with the offshore oil and gas industry, are not connected to mainland electricity supplies. Consequently, consumer prices are higher than elsewhere.

In the capital, Lerwick, successive power stations have been crucial – Lerwick A was commissioned in 1953 and Lerwick B was built in the 1980s. The proposed 120MW oil/gas Lerwick C project, has been delayed, although it has planning approval. Its backer, SSE, is also seeking to build up to 457 MW of wind capacity on the Shetland Islands with its Viking investment.

Ofgem, too, has intervened in seeking to improve the local electricity distribution network. Having rejected SSE’s modernisation plan in 2013, it is seeking new solutions.

The Orkney Islands’ electricity generation portfolio comprises four core generation plants, most notably the 10MW gas-fired plant at Flotta. The largest plant is the diesel-fuelled power station at Kirkwall, which is called up when there are problems with the subsea link to the mainland. MeyGen, a subsidiary of Atlantic Resources, plans to install a major tidal plant in the Pentland Firth, which should benefit nearby islands.

Further west, the Hebrides have faced many power supply challenges, although more links to the Scottish mainland are now in place. There are several small diesel plants scattered across the Outer Hebrides, such as the 12MW Loch Carnan plant in South Uist and the Tiree power station. Such plants are generally called up when there are subsea cable interruptions. In 2014, 25,000 homes were cut off when the link under the Minch developed faults.

The most innovative approach has been taken by the authorities on Eigg, near Skye, which now has a 24/7 renewable generation capability. Long term, the Outer Hebrides, in particular, offer real opportunities for wave power generation.

Further south, the Isle of Anglesey is closely linked to the north Wales mainland. However, it also hosted the now closed Wylfa nuclear power station, a first-generation Magnox plant.

There are long-term plans to build a new advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) at Wylfa, although immense hurdles will have to be overcome for this project to be realised.

Although the Isle of Man is not strictly part of the UK, its pivotal location has given it a real opportunity to become the hub for renewable power projects in the Irish Sea.

Its main generation plant is at Pulrose, Douglas. Like most local plants, this CCGT plant is owned by the Manx Electricity Authority. With a new Energy from Waste (EFW) plant near Douglas and a subsea electricity connection to Bispham near Blackpool, the Isle of Man’s energy supplies are more diverse than previously.

On the Scilly Isles, electricity provision had been focused on the largest island, St Mary’s, with its diesel-fuelled plant owned by South Western Electricity (SWEB). In the 1980s, two subsea links were laid, the first between the five largest islands and the second – completed in 1989 – to connect the Scilly Isles to the mainland.

Historically, the Isle of Wight’s fuel supplies are best known for the legendary Pluto pipeline to France that provided fuel for the post D-Day Normandy campaign in 1944.

More recently, the Isle of Wight has become increasingly integrated into mainland Hampshire, despite the absence of a fixed transport link. The main power station is the RWE-owned 140MW Kingston plant near Cowes.

Further south are the Channel Islands, some of which benefit from sub-sea connections with EDF, such as the 90MW Normandie 2 and the 100MW Normandie 3 links. But subsea links are not foolproof, as the well-publicised 2012 failures demonstrated.

Jersey’s main power station is at La Collette, which operates on a standby basis; a new EFW plant was commissioned nearby in 2011.
Guernsey’s first power station was built in 1900 at Les Amballes, followed shortly afterwards by the Vale plant.

In the future, both Jersey and Guernsey are well placed to develop tidal power – the tides around both islands are particularly strong – although any such project is unlikely to surpass the iconic 240MW plant at Rance on the Normandy coast.

Gas supplies are piped to some larger islands; smaller communities often use bottled gas, particularly for cooking.

Although it will always be expensive to supply power to island communities 24/7, major improvements have undoubtedly taken place over the past 30 years.