Government proposals to look seriously at the Severn Estuary as a power generator have been welcomed by the WWF charity, though the focus on one specific energy extraction method is causing concern.
After extensive Government testing of barrages, tidal lagoons and a tidal fence in the Severn Estuary, 10 prospective power sourcing methods have been proposed. With all the projects in different stages of development, the Government has to consider all the options for tidal power in the Severn, though the barrage method seems to be their main focus of attention.
Head of WWF in Wales, Morgan Parry, said:
‘We have argued for many years that there are better ways of generating power from the tides than through fixed concrete barrages and we must keep all these options open. The publication of this list shows that there are many options, and Government Ministers have been wrong to focus exclusively on the barrage. We urge the Government to give serious consideration to the alternatives, such as the Tidal Fence and Tidal Steam proposals and to invest time and money in bringing them to an advanced state of readiness.’
Though the Government must be applauded for their testing, it seems that putting all their eggs in to one basket is a concern. With 10 proposed methods of energy retraction, surely all options must be researched in equal measure. Surely it is better to have ten different methods of energy sourcing rather than just one?
