Severn tidal power: list of proposals published

Jul 24, 2008 - direct.gov.uk Newsroom

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.

A list of 10 proposed projects that could provide clean, green energy from the tide in the Severn Estuary is being considered. The list has been published at an event to discuss the progress of the feasibility study in Cardiff attended by organisations such as environmental groups, local businesses and councils.

The feasibility study, commissioned by Secretary of State for Energy John Hutton, will now look in further detail at the 10 schemes. A short list will be published later this year highlighting which preferred proposals could be taken forward for more extensive research.

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. 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."

The list of ten options are:

1. Outer Barrage from Minehead to Aberthaw: this would be the largest barrage and would make maximum use of the Severn Estuary tidal resource

2. Middle Barrage from Brean Down to Lavernock Point: most well-studied option, known as the Cardiff-Weston barrage

3. Middle Barrage from Hinkley to Lavernock Point: as option 2 but lands at Hinkley

4. Inner Barrage (Shoots Barrage): also known as English Stones scheme and studied in detail by the Sustainable Development Commission

5. Beachley Barrage: barrage further upstream, smaller generating capacity than Shoots.

6. Tidal Fence proposal: a barrier constructed over part of the Cardiff to Weston line, with open sections, incorporating tidal stream turbines to capture energy from the ebb and flood tides.

7. Lagoon enclosure on the Welsh grounds (Fleming lagoon): one of the previously studied Russell lagoons from 1980s

8. Tidal lagoon concept: a proposal for a number of tidal lagoons

9. Tidal reef proposal: a concept that would include floating turbines and caissons

10. Severn Lake Scheme: a 1 km wide barrage in the same location as the Cardiff-Weston scheme designed to allow the construction of a number of additional features, including a wave farm on the seaward side and four marinas

Further information

More details are available on the BERR website.