Guernsey Electricity investigating fuel smell

A utility firm is investigating reports of fuel odour at its power station after reports by nearby businesses.

Guernsey Electricity said efforts have been made to establish if the most recently delivered fuel oil batches were the cause of the issue.

Businesses contacted the BBC to report a smell around The Bridge in The Vale, where Guernsey Electricity is based.

The company said if the issue is linked to the recently delivered oil, the batches will be prioritised for power generation and it would review any additional mitigation to deal with the smell.

Currently around 90% of the island's power is brought in via a cable from mainland Europe.

When demand exceeds the import capacity of the cable, heavy fuel oil is burnt at the power station in The Vale - usually in the autumn and winter.

The company said: "We have maintained fuel stock on site for around 100 years.

"All fuel oil products have a natural odour which we seek to minimise through our established fuel transfer and storage operations.

"Fuel odour can be more noticeable during the bunkering (delivery) process, and there have been three such deliveries during August as we prepare for the autumn, delivered against a backdrop of high air temperature and still wind conditions."

Guernsey's Environment and Infrastructure Committee and the States Trading Supervisory Board has committed to publishing proposals for a second interconnector cable by the end of this month.

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