The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has voted to begin the planning for a 700 MW tidal barrage scheme across the River Mersey in the UK.
The scoping opinion will be submitted to the planning inspector later this year.
According to Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, the multi-billion-pound River Mersey Tidal Power project has the potential to generate clean, predictable energy for 120 years and create thousands of jobs.
“Beyond the banks of the River Mersey, this is a national infrastructure asset that could position the UK as a global leader in the renewables race and help to turbocharge our net zero ambitions. We are under no illusions, we know there are still significant technical and financial challenges to overcome, but the plans we’ve agreed mark a huge step on our journey to bringing Mersey Tidal Power to life. Quite simply, the case for tidal has never been clearer – both for our economy and our planet,” said Rotheram.
Over the past three years, the authority has undertaken early technical work to develop the potential scope of the scheme, which could be up and running within a decade.
Before the scoping opinion can be submitted, the Combined Authority (CA) must carry out a period of stakeholder engagement and formal consultations with stakeholder groups. The scoping opinion will be based on the creation of a barrage across the river, which according to the CA is a less expensive option than a lagoon. Also, a barrage would offer a pedestrian and cycle link between Liverpool and Wirral, mitigate the impact of rising sea levels on Mersey and have a lower environmental footprint.
Councillor David Baines, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Net Zero and Air Quality, said: “Harnessing the power of the River Mersey to generate green and predictable energy for the next 100 years and more would be an incredible addition to our clean energy mix. We need to ensure we are extremely aware of our sensitive local ecology but just reaching this stage in the Mersey Tidal Power project has taken a huge amount of hard work allied with vision and would be a big step towards it becoming a reality.”
This article was originally published on sister site Power Engineering International.
