Weighing up options for Severn estuary tidal power
Ten different energy schemes are on the drawing board as the
Government weighs up its options for harnessing the tidal power
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of the Severn Estuary.
Five barrages and a further five alternative
energy-generating projects are on a list currently being
examined in a feasibility study, including a tidal fence,
lagoons and a “lake” scheme that would feature a wave farm and
four marinas.
A shortlist of preferred options to be taken forward for
more extensive research is due to be announced in December,
when the two-year feasibility study ends.
Among the schemes under consideration is the well-documented
10-mile barrage from Brean Down, near Weston-super-Mare, to
Lavernock Point near Cardiff.
A larger barrage could also be built further down the
Bristol Channel from Minehead to Aberthaw, making maximum use
of the Severn Estuary tidal resource, while a barrage at
Beachley would be upstream of the old Severn Bridge and
generate less energy.
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Also on the list is a tidal fence, which is seen by some as
better for wildlife and shipping than a barrage as it would
have open sections. There is also a reef design of floating
turbines and a “lake” scheme – including a wave power station
facing the incoming tide.
The Environment Agency, Friends of the Earth, the Wildfowl
and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge and the South West Regional
Development Agency are among the organisations which have
contributed to the multi-million pound feasibility study, which
aims to assess the costs, benefits and environmental impact of
a tidal power scheme.
Secretary of State for Energy John Hutton said: “Harnessing
the power of the Severn Estuary could be an engineering project
of breathtaking scale, and we will look at the full range of
technologies and locations.”
The chosen scheme could help make a significant contribution
to the proposed target of generating 15 per cent of the
nation's power from renewable energy by 2020.
The Government's sustainability watchdog the Sustainable
Development Commission (SDC) last year said a tidal barrage
blocking the tide's flow through the estuary, such as the
original Brean Down to Lavernock scheme, could be built if it
complied with environmental laws. But some groups say it would
harm estuary wildlife.
Friends of the Earth energy campaigner Neil Crumpton said:
“There are some exciting tidal projects on the table which
could produce as much as 10 per cent of the UK's renewable
energy 2020 target in a more cost effective way than the Severn
Barrage – and without damaging the environment or threatening
access to the port at Bristol.”
Martin Spray, chief executive of the Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust, had previously raised concerns about a barrage. He said:
“The important thing is that each of these options is assessed
very carefully as to their impact on the environment, and that
the least environmentally damaging option is employed.”
The Severn Tidal Power Group, a consortium of construction
giants Sir Robert McAlpine, Taylor Wimpey, Balfour Beatty and
Alstom, has backed the idea of a barrage, and welcomed the
proposals. Spokesman Roger Hull said: “It's very important to
look at all the options to make sure the best one doesn't get
missed, and that everyone understands that they have all been
looked at.”
Weston MP John Penrose said: “Choosing the best way to
harness the Severn's tidal power is an incredibly important
decision that has to be taken fairly and without bias. It is
Britain's biggest single potential source of renewable energy
and we'll be living with the consequences for centuries.”
Northavon MP Steve Webb, whose constituency borders the
upper reaches of the estuary, said: “It's vital that the study
should be genuinely open to all the alternatives, and the fact
that a varied list of alternatives is being considered is a
welcome development.”
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