Welsh Lib Dems urged to back lagoons ahead of the Barrage

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have been urged to back tidal lagoons rather than the Severn Barrage as they begin their review of tidal energy[1].

Speaking at the party's autumn conference in Swansea on Saturday 11 October, Friends of the Earth Cymru stated that a combination of offshore lagoons and other tidal options would have a less damaging environmental impact and could be built sooner and cheaper than the barrage. The group also strongly criticised the Sustainable Development Commission's support for the barrage which, the Commission has claimed, could be a flagship for environmental change.

Friends of the Earth Cymru's energy spokesperson, Neil Crumpton, said:

"The Severn Barrage would significantly damage much of an extremely important and protected wildlife habitat and impede fish migration.

"It would likely cost in excess of the predicted £15 billion, which would have to be subsidised by the taxpayer, and would impede shipping to ports such as Avonmouth.

"If built, it would generate around one per cent of the UK's energy demand but would do so in two four hour pulses on each ebb tide. These would not synchronise with the daily variations in grid demand and would create a need for 'back up' in excess of what would be needed for an offshore wind programme delivering five times the energy.

"We believe that the UK and the Welsh Assembly Governments should encourage the construction of a demonstration offshore tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay and/or Liverpool Bay as soon as possible. This would enable Wales to lead the world in an exciting new green technology.

"We are calling on the Liberal Democrats to also include in their study serious consideration of other options, such as tidal lagoons and a reef or barrage scheme in the Shoots area of the estuary. The latter could also provide a crossing for a new high speed rail link to south Wales.

"They should also bear in mind that £15 billion could help scale-up an offshore wind and wave manufacturing and skills base to deliver far more of the UK's energy needs than a risky one-off project."

Friends of the Earth Cymru also alerted the Welsh Liberal Democrats to what it regards as serious flaws in the Sustainable Development Commission's assessment of tidal energy in the UK[2].

Neil Crumpton continued:

"The Sustainable Development Commission's study of tidal energy failed to make any assessment of what could be achieved by spending the £15 billion on non-tidal technologies to mitigate climate change.

"It claimed that large tidal lagoons would be expensive and environmentally damaging but did not give any detailed reasoning as to why. It also relied too heavily on just one consultant's cost estimate for the output and construction costs of offshore lagoons."

Neil Crumpton is a member of the Department of Energy's Severn tidal study's strategic environmental assessment steering group.

NOTES

1. The Welsh Liberal Democrats, along with their West Country counterparts, are about to begin a study of the tidal options available in the Severn Estuary.

2. 'Tidal Power in the UK' by the Sustainable Development Commission

For further information please contact Friends of the Earth Cymru on 029 2022 9577