Harnessing the power of the tides

An independent Government Review has concluded that tidal lagoons can play a cost effective role in the UK’s energy mix.

Former energy minister, Charles Hendry was appointed by the UK Government in May 2016 to assess the strategic case for tidal lagoons. He believes that the evidence is clear that tidal lagoons can play a cost effective role in the UK’s energy mix and there is considerable value in the £1.3billion privately funded Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon as the pathfinder project.

Speaking at a recent event hosted by Blake Morgan in Reading, Development Director for Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Plc Ioan Jenkins said: “Charles Hendry could not have been any clearer; tidal lagoons will help deliver security of supply, assist in delivering our decarbonisation commitments and bring real and substantial opportunities for the UK supply chain. Most importantly, he has made clear that tidal lagoons at scale could deliver low carbon power in a way that is very competitive with other low carbon sources.”

Lead Partner for Blake Morgan, Phil Jardine added: “Tidal lagoons can be an important and exciting new industry for Wales and the United Kingdom. We have the second highest tidal range in the world, which gives us the most wonderful opportunity to become world leaders using our natural asset as an island nation. That’s why we are so pleased to be working with Tidal Lagoon Power on their land and property matters and hope that the UK Government will move forward with Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon without delay.”

As the world’s first tidal lagoon, Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon is a £1.3 billion, 320MW infrastructure project that will open up a programme of larger tidal infrastructure to generate renewable electricity at a scale and low cost never seen before.

Developed by Tidal Lagoon Power, this pathfinder project will lead to a fleet of six tidal lagoons that could secure 8% of UK electricity, or power for 30% of UK homes.  The most advanced of these, an £8bn project at Cardiff, is planned at equal capacity to Hinkley Point C and would generate the cheapest electricity of all new power stations.

British-made turbine and generator technology and engineering expertise will be at the heart of the pathfinder project, seeding a new global industry with significant export potential for the UK steel, manufacturing and engineering supply chain.  It is expected that the project will create over 2,200 jobs during construction.

The project features in the Conservative Party 2015 General Election manifesto, Welsh Government’s Programme for Government 2016-2021, was granted a Development Consent Order in June 2015 and is shovel-ready, with construction scheduled to commence next year.  Major delivery partners include Atkins, General Electric, Andritz Hydro, Laing O’Rourke, Alun Griffiths Ltd, Prudential, InfraRed Capital Partners and Macquarie Capital. Blake Morgan has provided legal advice on property and land matters in Wales.

For more information on the Hendry review click here for information on Tidal Lagoon visit www.tidallagoonpower.com.