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Severn Barrage Cancelled

Page history last edited by Malcolm 13 years, 5 months ago

Government calls time on Severn barrage

Ministers have cancelled plans to use the Severn estuary’s tidal range to generate power.

A two-year feasibility study into a number of options – including a barrage across the full width of the estuary between Cardiff and Weston on the English side – concluded that the scheme would be high cost and high risk in comparison with other ways of generating electricity.

The recently released report by the Government said a Severn tidal project should not be ruled out as a longer term option if market conditions change but suggested no more assessment work should be undertaken before 2015 at the earliest.

The report concluded that a scheme would be unlikely to attract the necessary private investment in the current economic circumstances and would require the public sector to own much of the cost and risk.

The most high-profile of the proposed schemes was the 10-mile wide Cardiff-Weston barrage, the costs of which had more than doubled since the beginning of the feasibility studies two years ago.

The barrage, which might have been topped with a new road or rail crossing of the estuary, could have met five per cent of the UK's electricity needs.

However, the plans were controversial for environmentalists because the scheme would have meant the destruction of thousands of hectares of habitat, particularly the winter feeding grounds of 65,000 birds.

The barrage was also viewed as being potentially beneficial for the economic development of the area on both sides of the estuary.

The Cardiff-Weston barrage, the largest project assessed, was considered to be potentially feasible and had the lowest cost of energy of any of the schemes assessed.

The study said it could cost up to £34bn, would generate 15.6 terrawatt hours a year but would have the greatest impact on habitats, bird populations and the estuary ports.

 

Roger Milne

21 October 2010

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