Chancellor to Reveal Tidal Lagoon Plan for Swansea
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne is expected to reveal plans to construct the world’s first tidal lagoon as part of today’s budget statement. The project, which will be based in Swansea Bay in South Wales, will cost £1bn, and will produce generating capacity of 320 megawatts, with an annual output of 420 gigawatt hours. The site will occupy an area of 4.4 square miles and be surrounded by a 20 metre high sea wall.
There are also plans to create a six mile sea reef, which will provide the habitat to reintroduce the native oyster to Swansea Bay. It is thought that if the project proves successful, the Department of Energy and Climate Change will look at using other locations as part of a £12bn electricity generation programme. The Swansea lagoon will funnel enough water to fill 100,000 Olympic sized swimming pools every day.
Assembly Member for South Wales Peter Black believes the development will have a major influence on the area: “This lagoon has the potential to bring a massive economic boost for Swansea and surrounding areas. It is expected that the project could produce a huge number of local jobs and could well generate millions of pounds in the region,” he said. The proposed development does have its critics, who point to the fact that it will require a subsidy of around £150 per megawatt hour, the highest level of support for any energy project in the UK.