A 10-mile barrage across the Severn to generate significant amounts of "green" electricity has been included on a shortlist of tidal schemes published by the Government.
By Chris Irvine Last Updated: 8:22AM GMT 27 Jan 2009
A 10-mile barrage across the Severn to generate significant amounts of "green" electricity has been included on a shortlist of tidal schemes published by the Government. Photo: SWNS
A 10-mile barrage across the Severn to generate significant amounts of "green" electricity has been included on a shortlist of tidal schemes published by the Government. Photo: SWNS
The proposed shortlist for harnessing tidal power in the estuary also included two schemes for innovative tidal "lagoons" on the English and Welsh coasts and two smaller barrages.
The potential energy gap caused by the closure of fossil fuel plants, coupled with strict climate change targets to cut carbon emissions, means the UK must vastly increase the amount of electricity generated by renewables.
The barrage would provide five per cent of the UK's energy needs and stretch from Cardiff in Wales to Weston-super-Mare, in Somerset.
The four other schemes include a 12-mile tidal reef and tidal fences which would not dam the estuary like a barrage, causing less impact on its habitat - it would only provide a fifth of the energy however.
Energy and Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband announced £500,000 of funding to develop new technology such as reefs to harness the energy of the tides.
And he said progress on those technologies would be considered before any final decisions on a tidal power scheme for the Severn Estuary were made.
Energy companies are already warning the technology will struggle in the current economic climate, with the world's biggest offshore project, the London Array, said to be on a "knife edge" because of rising costs. The Cardiff-Weston barrage would cost an estimated £15 billion.
Environmentalists have also criticised the proposal - the RSPB said the barrage would destroy the habitat of 69,000 birds and block the migration route of countless fish.
Mr Miliband said "tough choices" had to be made in the fight against climate change.
"We need to think about how to balance the value of this unique natural environment against the long-term threat of global climate change," he said of the estuary.
James Farman, head of renewable energy at energy analysts Inenco, said: "Whilst we can't ignore the concerns about the environmental impact of the barrage, it represents a major step forward in our ability to reduce emissions, not just now but for over 100 years into the future.
"The long-term effects of climate change threaten the Severn Estuary wetlands just as surely as the barrage does, along with another 100,000 acres of land in the area that could be subject to flooding or erosion."
All 10 projects from the long list, and the proposed shortlist, will now be subject to a three-month consultation, after which the Government will publish a final shortlist.
Those five projects will be considered in more depth, with a view to making a final decision on how best to harness the energy of the Severn in 2010.
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