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Roll-out for tidal power plans

2 Mar 15 The developers of the £850m Swansea tidal lagoon power project is now working up plans for a further five similar projects around the UK.

Plans at Swansea involve the construction of a 9.5km-long sea wall to create a lagoon in the Severn Estuary
Plans at Swansea involve the construction of a 9.5km-long sea wall to create a lagoon in the Severn Estuary

Next up would be a Cardiff tidal lagoon, which would be the UK’s first full-scale tidal lagoon power plant, producing enough energy to power every home in Wales for 120 years, it is claimed.

Tidal Lagoon Power has submitted an environmental impact assessment scoping report for a tidal lagoon between Cardiff and Newport. This represents the first step in a project that would have an installed capacity, dependent on final design, of between 1,800MW and 2,800MW, giving an annual output of 4 TWh to 6 TWh.

An environmental impact assessment scoping document seeks comment on all of the survey work proposed to support an eventual planning application for a nationally significant infrastructure project. The submission to the Planning Inspectorate of the 400+ page document represents a first milestone in the delivery of the Cardiff Tidal Lagoon. Site selection and feasibility studies for the project began in 2011, with a dedicated engagement team established in 2013.

Development of plans for the Cardiff Tidal Lagoon follows the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, which is due to receive a planning decision by 10th June 2015. In December, the Swansea Bay project was named in HM Treasury’s National Infrastructure Plan.

Tidal Lagoon Power has also confirmed that it is working on plans for four other full-scale UK tidal lagoons at Newport, West Cumbria, Colwyn Bay and Bridgwater Bay. Together, the national fleet of six lagoons could meet 8% of the UK’s total electricity requirement for 120 years.

Tidal Lagoon Power's partners include Costain, WS Atkins and Dutch dredging firm Van Oord.

Plans for Tidal Lagoon Cardiff include up to 90 turbines set within a 22km breakwater that will enclose an area of around 70km2 with an average tidal range of 9.21 metres. The Western landfall would be approximately 2km from the entrance to Cardiff Bay and the Eastern landfall would be approximately 2km from the mouth of the River Usk. The lagoon has a design life of 120 years, will generate power for approximately 14 hours each day and could be powered on in 2022.

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By contrast, the Swansea scheme is for just 320MW.

Tidal Lagoon Power chief executive Mark Shorrock said: “Full-scale tidal lagoon infrastructure gives the UK an opportunity to generate electricity from our amazing tidal range at a cost comparable to fossil fuel or nuclear generation. We have the best tidal resource in Europe and the second best worldwide. We now have a sustainable way to make the most of this natural advantage.

“We will build on the template established for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon – applying the expertise and learning, scaling the UK supply chain and turbine assembly plant, leveraging the institutional investor partnerships we have developed – to deliver a Cardiff Tidal Lagoon capable of working in harmony with nature to supply around 1.5 million UK homes, now and for generations to come, with affordable, reliable, low carbon electricity. There is still a long way to go and many environmental surveys to undertake but we will work in partnership with all nature conservation bodies so as to understand, avoid, minimise and mitigate any environmental impacts.”

Tidal Lagoon Power Limited hopes to submit a full planning application for Tidal Lagoon Cardiff in 2017, with a decision then expected in 2018. The lagoon would take up to five years to build. The company estimates a CFD strike price requirement of £90-£95/MWh for the project. With a Cardiff Tidal Lagoon, the weighted average CFD strike price across the UK’s first two tidal lagoon power plant at Swansea Bay and Cardiff could be between £95/MWh and £105/MWh.

Robert Lloyd Griffiths, director of the Institute of Directors in Wales, said: “IOD Wales has taken a keen interest in the development of Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon. In particular, we have been impressed with the potential business opportunities that it presents for the supply chain in Wales. We believe that this has the capacity to contribute significantly to the local and regional economy and were delighted to learn that the preferred turbine bidders GE and Andritz are already working with local companies.

“Today’s announcement for Cardiff proves that the Swansea Bay project really does have the potential to kickstart a whole new industry here in Wales and what’s more it can be delivered quickly. It is great to see that after so much talk about how we can harness the power of the Severn, we now have some very real plans to work with.”

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