Parsons Brinckerhoff reviews £15bn Severn Barrage

US engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff has reviewed plans to harness tidal energy by building a £15bn barrage across the River Severn, as plans for the scheme move forward.

The barrage, which would take 10 years to construct, is designed to span the ten mile stretch between Lavernock Point and Brean Down.

The Sustainable Development Commission claimed that the barrage, which is expected supply Britain with 5% of its total energy demand when complete, could provide clean sustainable energy for a period of 120 years.

The Severn’s tidal range would be harnessed and this would in turn drive electricity-generating turbines, the Times reported.

Photo: River surfing on the Severn Bore