Government sets out £15bn barrage options

A list of ten rival schemes for a planned £15bn tidal power project in the Severn estuary was released by the government today.

Energy secretary John Hutton will now consider the plans before drawing-up a shortlist later this year.

Hutton said: "Harnessing the power of the Severn Estuary could be an engineering project of breathtaking scale and we will look at the full range of technologies and locations.

"Such a project could play an important role in our ambition to dramatically increase the amount of energy from renewable sources. The tidal range on the Severn is the second largest in the world and has the potential to provide around 5% of the UK's current electricity demand."
 
Welsh Assembly Government Environment, Sustainability and Housing Minister, Jane Davidson said: "It is important to stress that while there is much talk of a 'barrage', this feasibility study is looking at a range of other options.

"The potential here is great and the Severn Estuary is a resource that could help us make a significant contribution to the proposed UK renewables target of 15% by 2020."

The list of ten options is:

1. Outer Barrage from Minehead to Aberthaw: this would be the largest barrage and would make maximum use of the Severn Estuary tidal resource.

2. Middle Barrage from Brean Down to Lavernock Point: most well-studied option, known as the Cardiff-Weston barrage.

3. Middle Barrage from Hinkley to Lavernock Point: as option 2 but lands at Hinkley.

4. Inner Barrage (Shoots Barrage): also known as English Stones scheme and studied in detail by the Sustainable Development Commission.

5. Beachley Barrage: barrage further upstream, smaller generating capacity than Shoots.
 
6. Tidal Fence proposal: a barrier constructed over part of the Cardiff to Weston line, with open sections, incorporating tidal stream turbines to capture energy from the ebb and flood tides.

7. Lagoon enclosure on the Welsh grounds (Fleming lagoon): one of the previously studied Russell lagoons from 1980s.

8. Tidal lagoon concept: a proposal for a number of tidal lagoons.

9. Tidal reef proposal: a concept that would include floating turbines and caissons.
 
10. Severn Lake Scheme: a 1km wide barrage in the same location as the Cardiff-Weston scheme, designed to allow the construction of a number of additional features, including a wave farm on the seaward side and four marinas.