Calls to harness natural energy

The Isle of Man is being urged to harness its wind and tidal power

A member of the House of Keys is urging the Isle of Man to make the most of its island status by using tidal and wind power to generate all its electricity.

Phil Gawne, Rushen MHK, touted the idea during a recent speech he made at the Celtic Congress in Aberystwyth.

He told delegates that if the island embarked on an action plan now, it may become energy self-sufficient by 2020.

However, as well as harnessing wind and wave power, the island must also build more energy-efficient homes, he added.

According to Mr Gawne, if the schemes were successful, they could result in the Isle of Man becoming a net exporter of energy within 12 years.

Pro-active measures

At the moment the island imports 96% of its power and concern is mounting over the growing cost of energy for residents and businesses on the island.

As of 1 September, Manx Electricity Authority increased its prices by more than 16%.

Last month Manx Gas tariffs rose by 1.32p per unit and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) by 0.64p.

Mr Gawne said: "Nobody is predicting this is a peak in oil prices. Everyone is saying actually it's likely to continue to rise so we have to start to think about how are we going to deal with this in the future.

"One of the things that we can do is to start getting control of where our energy comes from.

"We control our 12 mile territorial sea, we've got plenty of energy blowing across the island and plenty of energy in terms of tidal power.

"What we have to do is make sure we are in a position to harness that as soon as possible."