The Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure has asked the States of Guernsey to approve the practical details of establishing an Offshore Renewable Energy Commission, an independent body which would be responsible for licensing marine renewable energy developments, including offshore wind.
The States of Guernsey had already decided to establish the Commission in 2010 and reiterated this desire when electricity strategy was debated earlier in 2025. This new policy letter sets out the structure and practical details of the Commission.
This is an essential piece of enabling work in line with the ongoing exploration of the potential opportunities presented by offshore wind and is complimentary to the policy letter recently published by the Policy & Resources Committee.
Under the proposals, in line with the States of Guernsey’s previous direction, the Commission will be separate to the States, which will reduce risk and create a regulatory environment which is more attractive to renewable energy developers. It is also a time-efficient and cost-efficient way of licensing renewable activities.
It is intended that the Commission will only be formally established once there is greater certainty around potential offshore renewable projects around Guernsey. This avoids having a Commission with no licensing applications to consider.
The establishment of the Commission will require funding to support its start-up costs, which has already been agreed in principle by the States of Guernsey. However, this seed funding is only available until the first licensing applications are received, after which the Commission will be able to recover its operating costs.
Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of the Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure, responded: “The States of Guernsey has already agreed that establishing a Commission is the best approach to provide greatest certainty to potential renewable energy developers. The Commission is a critical enabler for offshore renewables in local waters, agreeing the practical details to establish it is an important step to put Guernsey on the front foot so that we are ready to move forward as soon as opportunities arise.”
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