DEPARTMENT FOR
BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM News Release (2008/013)
issued by The Government News Network on 22 January 2008
The massive
potential for tidal power from the Severn Estuary to provide low
carbon, renewable electricity was highlighted today by Energy
Secretary, John Hutton, with the publication of the terms of
reference for the Government's feasibility study.
Tidal barrages and lagoons will be looked at in the feasibility
study which will analyse the potential environmental, social and
economic impacts of the possible projects. It will enable the
Government to decide whether and on what terms it could support a
tidal power project.
One of the possible technologies, a Severn Barrage, would harness
the power of the Estuary using the proven technology of a
hydro-electric dam, but filled by the incoming tide rather than by
water flowing downstream. Such a project, as the recent report
from the Sustainable Development Commission confirmed, has the
potential to generate some 5% of UK electricity from a renewable
British source.
John Hutton said:
"The potential scale of this project, and the impact it
could have for both securing energy supplies and tackling climate
change is breathtaking. The Severn Estuary has some of the best
tidal potential in the world and could more than double the
current UK supply of renewable electricity, and contribute
significantly to targets for renewable energy and CO2 emissions reduction.
"We must understand the cost and the impact that a project
of this scale could have, not least the environmental, social and
economic effects. But the need to take radical steps to tackle
climate change is now beyond doubt. Tough choices need to be made.
We must consider all our low carbon energy options."
The study, which will include a Strategic Environmental
Assessment, is expected to last roughly 2 years. It is expected to
conclude with a full public consultation in early 2010. The work
will be done by a cross-Government team, also involving the Welsh
Assembly Government and the South West Regional Development
Agency, bringing together expertise from a number of organisations
and engaging stakeholders and the public at large.
Building on the work of the Sustainable Development Commission
and earlier studies, the feasibility study will:
* assess in broad terms the costs, benefits and impact of a
project to generate power from the tidal range of the Severn
Estuary, including environmental, social, regional, economic, and
energy market impacts;
* identify a single preferred tidal range project (which may be a
single technology/location or a combination of these) from the
number of options that have been proposed;
* consider what measures the Government could put in place to
bring forward a project that fulfils regulatory requirements, and
the steps that are necessary to achieve this; and,
* decide, in the context of the Government's energy and
climate change goals and the alternative options for achieving
these, and after public consultation, whether the Government could
support a tidal power project in the Severn Estuary and on what terms.
The publication of the terms of reference comes on the day that
the Energy Bill receives its second reading in the House of
Commons. The Energy Bill sets out a range of measures to address
the twin challenges of tackling climate change and securing energy supplies.
This includes strengthening the Renewables Obligation to drive
greater and more rapid deployment of renewables in the UK. This is
expected to triple the electricity supplied from renewable sources
to around 15% by 2015.
The Bill also enables investment in carbon capture and storage.
CCS has the potential to reduce the carbon emissions from fossil
fuel power stations by up to 90%. The Government has announced
details of a competition for the first commercial scale
demonstration of CCS - this will help reduce costs and risks for
future projects and put the UK in the lead on the design,
construction and operation of CCS.
Notes to Editors
1. The Severn Estuary is one of the largest estuaries in the UK.
The estuary's classic funnel shape, unique in the UK, helps
give it the second highest tidal range in the world.
2. The feasibility study will consider all tidal range
technologies, but not tidal stream technologies. Tidal range is
the vertical difference between the highest high tide and the
lowest low tide (up to 14 metres- 42 feet - in the Severn
Estuary). Electricity is generated by impounding a large volume of
water on the high tide and then passing this water through
turbines once a height difference is created.
3. There are two main tidal range technologies - barrages and
lagoons. A Severn Barrage would be a barrier from the English to
the Welsh coast over the Severn estuary. There are several
proposed locations for such a barrage including between Cardiff
and Weston, as recommended by studies in the 1980s, which would
have a capacity of 8640 Mega Watts and an estimated output of 17
Tera Watt Hours a year - providing around 5% of current UK
electricity demand. A tidal lagoon is an artificial impoundment
that would be constructed in shallow water areas with a high tidal range.
4. All of the possible technologies must comply with a wide range
of environmental legislation, including the EU Habitats and Wild
Bird directives. The Severn Estuary is of National, European and
International nature conservation significance - and so has been
afforded the corresponding levels of legal protection. It is
designated as both a Ramsar Site and Special Protection Area (SPA)
under the EU Habitats Directive and is in the process of being
designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The Estuary
also comprises a series of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).