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Jersey Electricity has revealed that a project to install solar panels on fields in St Mary is still up in the air more than a year after the plans were “temporarily” withdrawn, amid questions from neighbouring residents over the project’s future.
The utility company announced in February 2025 that the planning bid for its Champs Verts scheme had been pulled in the wake of questions posed by the Cabinet Office, but said at the time that it intended to resubmit the application “in due course”.
JE has now stated that the project is still being considered as part of a “wider reassessment” of its Solar 5,000 programme to power 5,000 homes with locally-generated solar power by 2030.
“Residents now deserve to be told if Jersey Electricity intends to go ahead [with Champs Verts]
The decision to withdraw the application last year also came amid pushback from residents, including members of the Save This View campaign group.
In a recent statement, William Layzell, who leads the group, said: “It’s over a year since the planning application was withdrawn, partly, we believe, because of our campaign but also because of objections raised by the government’s Cabinet Office.”
Referencing a separate announcement by JE earlier this year about its decision to pull the plug on plans for a solar farm at Belle Fontaine, Mr Layzell added: “Residents now deserve to be told if Jersey Electricity intends to go ahead [with Champs Verts] or if this scheme, like the one in St Martin, is to be abandoned.
“No doubt these are questions which will be asked during the election campaign in May. Candidates and States Members will want to know how much JE has spent on these two schemes: one scrapped, the other unlikely to go ahead.”
Solar generation remains an important part of improving the resilience and diversity of Jersey’s electricity supply
In response, JE stated that the Champs Verts project “remains under review as part of a wider reassessment of the company’s Solar 5,000 programme”.
“Solar generation remains an important part of improving the resilience and diversity of Jersey’s electricity supply,” the statement continued.
“Local solar generation can help reduce daytime-peak demand, particularly during the summer months, while providing a stable long-term fixed-cost source of energy.”
The update comes not long after JE announced that it had agreed a partnership with the government that will see rooftop solar arrays installed across a range of public buildings.

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