Just reading the local South Wales Echo. Front page story has an interesting thing going on.
A Severn Barrage that could change the face of South Wales is today a concrete proposal being considered at the highest level.
The Government is looking at a link across the river Severn from Lavernock Point, Sully to Brean in Somerset.
The £14bn project is included in the Governments long-awaited energy plans.
Politicians and environmentalists said the decision shows the 10 mile barrage is now being seriously examined. The Governments inclusion of the controversial Severn Barrage in its energy plans has been hailed as a clear signal the project may be built.
Assembly minister Andrew Davies welcomed the decision to hold a feasibility study into the gigantic 10 mile barrage across the estuary.
He insisted that full environmental impact assessments needed to be carried out but said that the news was a huge step forward for the £14bn project.
Mr Davies said "The Assembly government fully intends to play a full part in taking this work forward to its next stages."
"Obviously, this is very much the first stage of the barrage scheme but it has the massive potential to generate energy equivalent to the output of two power stations."
Environmental campaigners who oppose the project, also welcomed the Governments energy review yesterday saying it showed that green energy was being taken seriously at the highest levels.
The review - which also paved the way for new nuclear power stations in Wales - stated it would explore the pros and cons of such a scheme.
"Its important for us theyve made such an announcement." said campaigner Neil Crumpton of Friends of the Earth Cymru.
"Were happy with that aspect, but we are concerned the barrage is not the best location because of the threat of damage to habitats.
This project could be built elsewhere with less of an environmental impact and the cost could then be much less as well."
The energy review said the decade long scheme was likely to cost in the region of £14bn and provide about 5% of the uks electricity demand by 2020.
Proposals put forward by a consortium of builders led by balfour beatty are for a tidal barrage from lavernock point, penarth to Brean Down, near Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset
It has already recieved backing from the Assembly Government and Welsh Secretary Peter Hain but there has been opposition from the RSPB which claims the project would destroy mud-flats that provide a feeding site for birds.
The review states: "It is clear that while attractive in terms of energy generation and associated benefirts, plans for a Severn Barrage would raise strong environmental concerns. We are, however, interested in improving our understanding of how to make best use of the potential tidal resource in UK waters."
Rather interesting... so shoving a concrete barrier across the main river in the west of the UK, can replace 2 power stations. As they found out from the smaller Cardiff Bay Barrage (not generating electricity, just made the area nicer instead of mudflats) despite fishways being built through the structure, migration patterns have still been affected.
Im in two minds, while the capability of generating 2 power stations worth of electricity is great, maintenance, cost, and generally concerns about how long this project would take and affect the environment upstream of the barrage (considering that Penarth is further down stream than the main seaside town in south wales of Barry Island).
What do you reckon... progress for the UKs green energy side? or an environmental nightmare? Do you think 14 BILLION POUNDS! is worth spending on it? Do you think that 14 billion pound investment would be better invested in another scheme?
