energy news

Severn tidal schemes too expensive, says report


29th October, 2010

Severn tidal schemes too expensive, says report

Ministers have effectively pulled the plug on using the Severn estuary's huge tidal range to generate power.

A two-year feasibility study into a number of options - including a barrage across the full width of the estuary between Cardiff and Weston on the English side - concluded that the scheme would be high cost and high risk compared with other ways of generating electricity.

The report, released by the government on Monday, said a Severn tidal project should not be ruled out as a longer-term option if market conditions change, but suggested no more assessment work should be undertaken before 2015 at the earliest. The report concluded that a scheme would be unlikely to attract the necessary private investment in current circumstances and would require the public sector to own much of the cost and risk.

Of the options under review, the Cardiff-Weston barrage - the largest project assessed - was considered to be potentially feasible and had the lowest cost of energy of any of the possible schemes.

The study said it could cost up to £34 billion, would generate 15.6TWh a year but would have the greatest impact on habitats, bird populations and the estuary ports.
The report also concluded that a £17.7bn lagoon across Bridgewater Bay was potentially feasible, along with the alternative smaller Shoots barrage.

The government said combinations of smaller schemes did not offer cost or energy yield advantages over a single larger scheme, although it did suggest innovative technologies such as a so-called tidal bar and a spectral marine energy converter showed promise.



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