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Five Projects Make Severn Tidal Power Shortlist

January 27, 2009 | 4 Comments

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London, UK [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] A shortlist of proposed plans to generate electricity from the power of the tides in the Severn estuary has been unveiled by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change.

"The Severn estuary has massive potential to help achieve our climate change and renewable energy targets. We want to see how that potential compares against the other options for meeting our goals."

-- UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband

UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband has also announced £500,000 [US $702,000] of new funding to further develop early-stage technologies like tidal reefs and fences. The progress of these technologies will be considered before decisions are taken whether to go ahead with a Severn tidal power scheme.

The tides in the Severn estuary are the second highest in the world. The largest proposal being taken forward has the potential to generate nearly 5% of the UK's electricity from this domestic, low carbon and sustainable source.

Over the past year, the Government-led feasibility study has been investigating a list of ten options, gathering information on the costs, benefits and environmental challenges of using the estuary to generate power.

The proposed shortlist is includes:

Cardiff Weston Barrage: A barrage crossing the Severn estuary from Brean Down, near Weston super Mare to Lavernock Point, near Cardiff. Its estimated capacity is over 8.6 gigawatts (GW).
Shoots Barrage: Further upstream of the Cardiff Weston scheme. Capacity of 1.05 GW, similar to a large fossil fuel plant.
Beachley Barrage: The smallest barrage on the proposed shortlist, just above the Wye River. It could generate 625 MW.
Bridgwater Bay Lagoon: Lagoons are radical new proposals which impound a section of the estuary without damming it. This plan is sited on the English shore between east of Hinkley Point and Weston super Mare. It could generate 1.36 GW.
Fleming Lagoon: An impoundment on the Welsh shore of the estuary between Newport and the Severn road crossings. It too could generate 1.36 GW.

The proposed shortlist will now be subject to a three month public consultation which begins this week.

"Fighting climate change is the biggest long term challenge we face and we must look to use the UK's own natural resources to generate clean, green electricity. The Severn estuary has massive potential to help achieve our climate change and renewable energy targets. We want to see how that potential compares against the other options for meeting our goals,” said UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband.

Click here to view a map outlining the locations of the five schemes, and visualizations of how they could look.

Ocean Energy

4 Reader Comments

Comment
1 of 4

pfiddle

January 28, 2009

8.6gW. Wow that would really be something but wht would be the effect on the enviornment - as much as the same capacity from nuclear??
I believe bigger (in tidal terms) the better as the actual levels of "build up" either side of the dam is lessend.
I'd love to get more information.
Peter

Comment
2 of 4

adrian-akau-36758

January 28, 2009

Power of the Tide

Power of the tide, the fossils start to wither,
Coal turns white upon the sight of currents spinning wheels,
The moon and sun together, upon the seas deliver,
A pulling action, satisfaction bite the water's heels,
For the time has come said walrus, to sail upon the tide,
That spins and turns, for action yearns, but stay, will not abide.

adrianakau2aol.com

Comment
3 of 4

frank-j-heller-54997

January 28, 2009

Maine has an enormous tidal potential that was once harnessed 200 years ago to drive many different types of businesses and which created many water-mill based enterprises up & down the Coast.

With thousands of miles of coast line, 11' tides, and a half dozen major rivers; early entrepreneurs built thousands of water mills.

I have several active projects restoring these mills and equipping them with modern turbines to generate power, often on both tides or using riverine and tidal flows.

The nice feature is that the mills are well engineered; like the twin channels on Vinalhaven, an island, which run from the harbor to Carver pond. One channel is higher than the other, enabling skiff traffic and the complete filling of Carver pond; on the out flow more water flows out the West Channel and through the slots in its three 10' x 6' caissons and out the bottom into the harbor. A gate once held back water as the tide ebbed.

How much Power and at what cost?

That is being calculated now; but based on the cost of two large wind turbines on another part of the island; water powered generators can produce a lot more power, for a longer period of time than wind turbines---which at best, produce only 33% of their name plate rating. Solar is not viable.

And this is only one site!...there are thousands, large and small; and the potential for micro tidal suspending turbines from docks and abutements hasn't even been explored.

If anyone has an interest in Maine's revival of tidal power using our base of water mills, impounds and weirs, email me at KatahdinEnergyWorks@verizon.net

Comment
4 of 4

robert-whitson-69681

January 28, 2009

Does the author know whether these 5 projects would be UK government owned, or are there developing companies who would retain ownership and receive lease rights from the UK government?

Thanks.

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