HYDRO-ELECTRIC told the owner of a holiday home in Orkney that he
should consider buying a generator because it would cost #800,000 to lay
a mains supply to his property.
Mr Paul Craig, from Burston, Staffordshire, had dreamt of owning his
own lighthouse since he was a boy. His dream came true two years ago
when he bought the former keepers' home, which he uses as a holiday
home, on the uninhabited island of Copinsay.
''When we went out there recently, it was so cold it was like a
tomb,'' he said. ''What I wanted to do was put in storage heaters I
could leave on to keep it warm.
''I went to Hydro-Electric to see if they could hook it up to the
mains. I didn't expect it to be cheap -- but I was shocked, stunned, and
totally gobsmacked when I opened their letter and found out they wanted
close on one million pounds.''
In a letter to Mr Craig, the company said that a submarine cable would
have to be laid from Orkney to the skerry of Corn Holm, and an overhead
power line to the lighthouse on Copinsay.
''The cost of the work involved would be about #800,000,'' the company
said. It added that he would have to provide transport and insurance for
both men and materials, and suggested that he explore the possibility of
an alternative source of supply, such as a diesel generator.
''When you consider the profits they make it should be company policy
to supply anyone where ever they live at a reasonable cost,'' said Mr
Craig.
Hydro-Electric's district engineering manager for Orkney, Mr Phil
White, said: ''It would be a phenomenally expensive job -- the
high-voltage submarine cable alone would be around 4000 metres long.
''Our operating licence doesn't allow us to subsidise connections to
remote places from our other customers. Even if it did it would be
unfair to expect them to subsidise the provision of such an expensive
supply so, therefore, we have to look for a large contribution from the
potential customer.''
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