The tide is slowly creeping in - The Severn Barrage shortlist  

WalsOnline reports that the list of options under consideration for the Severn Estuary tidal power project has been released - Revealed – the rival proposals for generating green energy from the Severn Estuary.

THE 10 potential schemes for generating green energy from the Severn Estuary were yesterday unveiled by the Government. More than 150 years after a Gloucestershire gentleman first painted his dream of a barrage across the estuary, the publication of a list of 10 options signalled a significant step towards making something similar a reality. ...

Announcing the list in a joint press statement with Wales’ Environment Minister Jane Davidson, the UK’s Business Minister John Hutton hailed the potential of the rival options to deliver a project of breathtaking scale.

He 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. Such a project could play an important role in our ambition to dramatically increase the amount of energy from renewable sources. The tidal range on the Severn is the second largest in the world and has the potential to provide around 5% of the UK’s current electricity demand.” ...

Friends of the Earth campaigner Neil Crumpton said: “There are some exciting tidal projects on the table which could produce as much as 10% 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.

“The Government is currently trying to wriggle out of EU targets for green energy. If ministers focused their efforts on developing Britain’s vast renewable energy reserves – including the Severn Estuary – instead, they could build a thriving renewable industry. This would help avoid disastrous climate change and generate billions of pounds, hundreds of thousands of jobs and a clean and a secure energy supply for the UK.” ...

Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central Jenny Willott said: “I am glad that the Government is publicly acknowledging the full range of tidal power options that could be used in the Severn Estuary.

“All too often, ministers have talked up a Severn Barrage over other technologies, and have been in danger of presenting it as a simple matter of take it or leave it. As with nuclear power, this clearly isn’t the case.

“What we need now is absolute impartiality from the Government. The feasibility study must be allowed to carry out its detailed work without any whiff of political pressure in favour of one technology over another.”

The Severn Barrage shortlist

1. A giant barrage from Minehead, north Devon, to Aberthaw, Vale of Glamorgan - This 15-mile proposal crosses deeper areas of the Severn Estuary but potentially generates more power. Supported by flood groups in Somerset, engineer Rupert Armstrong Evans has put forward plans for 1,000 turbines generating 20 terawatt hours of electricity and with less impact on sea levels. Critics warn it would be an expensive option.

2. Middle Barrage from Brean Down to Lavernock Point, Sully, Vale of Glamorgan - Brought to the public eye by the Severn Tidal Power Group, a consortium of four of Britain’s leading builders, this is the best- known proposal and is often called the Cardiff Weston barrage. A 1989 study estimated it could generate 17 terawatt hours of electricity per year at a cost of around £15bn based on proven technology as used at La Rance, near St Malo, France, for 40 years.

3. Middle Barrage from Hinkley to Lavernock Point, Sully, Vale of Glamorgan - A similar proposal to the Brean Down proposal but with a different landing point in the West Country.

4. Inner Barrage (also known as Shoots or Hooker Barrage) - Favoured by the Friends of the Earth Cymru, this bird life-friendly proposal would be built near the second Severn crossing. A 2006 study suggested it could generate one seventh of the power of the Cardiff Weston barrage at a 10th of the cost.

5. Beachley Barrage - The first proposal for a barrage, put forward in 1849, it was painted by the surveyor, architect and engineer Thomas Fulljames of Gloucestershire.

6. Tidal Fence - Backed by a multinational group of academics, engineers and green energy groups, the proposal would generate one fifth of the power of the Cardiff Weston barrage along the same path. Backers claim the tidal stream technology provides advantages for shipping and wildlife.

7. Fleming Lagoons - Built against the banks of the Severn, the Severn Development Commission estimated a scheme based around three lagoons could generate 6.5 terawatt hours of electricity a year.

8. Tidal Lagoons - Friends of the Earth Cymru backs balanced, free-standing lagoons along with a smaller Shoots Barrage. They generate power in the same way as a barrage without obstructing the entire Estuary, minimising the impact on bird life.

9. Tidal Reef Proposal - A tidal stream energy concept including floating turbines housed in caissons and suggested as part of the outer barrage from Minehead to Aberthaw.

10. Severn Lake Scheme - Proposed by Neath entrepreneur Gareth Woodham, this mile-wide causeway along the line of the Sully Barrage would also include marinas, executive islands with a road and rail link with two lock gates, 200 hydro-electric turbines and two wave farms.