Commerce and Employment’s Guernsey Renewable Energy Team (RET) is starting work on marine mapping for the waters around the Island. This will look to build on the initial work that was undertaken in 2010 on the Regional Environmental Assessment.
This looked at environmental information that was available to identify key constraints on renewable development. It is planned that this information will assist RET in identifying potentially suitable zones for renewable energy developments as well as be digitally charted and publically available and feed into other States workstreams. It is hoped that the output will be useful to a number of States departments through displaying of information and identification of data gaps.
The initial stage is to undertake an audit of information that is already available; initially RET will look to gather all information about the waters around Guernsey regardless of age or quality. To do this they are liaising with identified key stakeholders in the marine environment, and this includes other States of Guernsey sections, environmental groups such as La Société Guernesiaise, local users such as boating and diving groups and businesses which have undertaken relevant work. They are looking to contact everyone who they think has such relevant information, but if you feel you are part of a group that has useful information but has not been approached please contact RET.
Following the data gathering phase they will look to remove duplicate information and then chart digitally the data. This will allow an easy to understand and use visual representation of what goes on in their waters, with further descriptive information available through interaction with the map.
This is expected to be a large piece of work and completion of this initial phase should be around the middle of 2014.
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Press release, August 26, 2013