Isle of Man mechanical energy storage

Can the Isle of Man rely on gas and oil?

It’s clear that like all leading economies the Isle of Man cannot rely on gas and oil indefinitely. While the island’s target to achieve net-zero by 2050 may seem far away, most of us worry about the current price of energy. Graph showing options to generate renewable power, store energy and utilise power on the Isle of Man.

Does the Isle of Man import energy from the UK?

The Isle of Man currently imports all of its energy from the UK (with the exception of what is produced from Sulby). In all future models, the Isle of Man remains dependent on GB for the provision of baseload. This is the case even where capacity is increased by building excess renewables, as the stabilisation is still provided by interconnectors.

Where does the Isle of Man electricity come from?

The majority of the Isle of Man’s electricity is currently sourced from fossil fuels. The interconnector is a source of carbon neutral electricity on island and also provides a route to export electricity to the GB Market.

How can a power interconnector be used in the Isle of Man?

The interconnector can be used to supply the additional energy demand, as well as balancing capability. The diesel engines at Peel and Pulrose with a collective output of 90 MW can together meet island demand. These generating assets and the interconnector can meet the Isle of Man electricity demand requirements.

Can the Isle of Man provide stabilising power to GB or ROI?

Opportunities for the Isle of Man to provide stabilising power to GB or ROI from a large-scale baseload power station, e.g. biomass or a small modular reactor? Neither option is without challenge, but likely provide the greatest potential for export. These options have not been explored in the analysis.

Could the Isle of Man re-import electricity from an offshore wind farm?

With interconnectors the Isle of Man could re-import electricity generated from an offshore wind farm, allowing GB to manage the balancing. This would likely result in much lower costs to consumers. CFDs are not currently open to the Isle of Man as it is not part of the UK.