Hydro & Marine News

Tuesday 27 January 2009

The 1.05GW Shoots Barrage, which would be located west of the Severn road crossing, is one of the smaller barrage options on the government's shortlist

Environmental pressure groups have reacted angrily to the inclusion of an 8.6GW barrage scheme in the government's shortlist of projects for the Severn Tidal project, and have described the exclusion of newer technologies as
"incomprehensible".

Campaigners want to see a mix of tidal reefs and fences as well as offshore tidal lagoons.

Green pressure group Friends of the Earth has come out in support of offshore tidal lagoons, and criticised the government for not recognising the technology.

The group's Welsh director, Gordon James, said: "Offshore tidal lagoons offer the best option for harnessing the huge renewable energy potential of the Severn Estuary. Their exclusion from the government's shortlist is utterly incomprehensible and raises serious concerns about the consultation process."

He added: "The development of tidal lagoons would have delivered huge quantities of green power more cheaply and quickly than a barrage, and with less impact on the environment. Ministers must abandon their fixation with the Severn barrage and invest in more effective and less damaging alternatives instead."

Shortlist

The shortlist, announced yesterday by Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband, includes the 8.6GW Cardiff-Weston barrage, as well as two other smaller barrage proposals further up stream, of 1GW and 625MW.

Also included are two tidal lagoons of 1.36GW each, one near Bridgwater, Somerset, and one off the south Wales coast (see this New Energy Focus story).

However, the government has not ruled out any of the options on the longlist, which includes offshore tidal lagoons, and tidal reef options.

The RSPB described the shortlist as "disappointing", and expressed particular concern at the proposed Cardiff-Weston barrage.

Instead, the group wants to see tidal reef and fence projects in the scheme, an option that the government is investigating with the help of a £500,000 fund that was made available yesterday.

"It is hugely disappointing to see government still pushing forward with the environmentally destructive option of a Cardiff-Weston barrage," said Peter Jones, environmental policy officer at the RSPB Cymru.

"We believe the focus should shift to innovative and potentially less damaging alternatives like a tidal reef or tidal fence. The announcement of £500,000 to develop these schemes is very welcome but it makes no sense to leave them off the shortlist," he added.

The bird conservation group said that the tidal reef and tidal fence options were more "environmentally benign", and urged the government to put its faith in UK engineering.

"Harnessing the huge tidal power of the Severn has to be right, but it cannot be right to trash the natural environment in the process. The final scheme must be the one that generates as much clean energy as possible while minimising harm to the estuary and its wildlife," added Mr Jones.

Renewables industry

But the government's announcement of the projects, and £500,000 in funding for newer tidal technologies was well received by the renewables industry.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA) applauded the list.

Steph Merry, head of marine energy at the REA, said: "The REA warmly welcomes this announcement. It is sensible to choose a mix of existing, proven technologies together with new construction techniques, as it is vital that the project operates successfully on completion.

"However we also warmly welcome the additional half a million pounds for DECC, the Welsh Assembly and the South West Development Agency to simultaneously look at new technologies that were not selected but that might offer more benign solutions for the local environment in the Severn," she added.

But the Environment Agency, which will be advising the study on environmental issues, reacted more cautiously.
Lord Chris Smith, chairman of the Agency, said: "The government has ambitious and essential targets on renewable energy generation and harnessing the tidal power of the Severn Estuary could help to achieve them."

He continued: "The rivers Severn Wye and Usk also include important ecological sites and protected species and are some of the most important fishing rivers in Britain. The study must identify schemes that are environmentally-sensitive, but also help us meet renewable energy targets. The Environment Agency will assess the environmental impacts of the proposed options and provides expert advice to the study."

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) warmly welcomed the list, but warned that action is now needed by the government.

Maria McCaffery, chief executive of the BWEA, said: "This confirms what the BWEA has been saying since the UK's renewable energy targets were published in 2008. There is enough potential for wind, wave and tidal to supply every UK household with electricity, and then some.

"The government now has to act decisively to remove other obstacles hampering the growth of the wind, wave and tidal sectors," she concluded.