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Keith Read, Chief Executive of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, said:
“The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) welcomes the decision to move to the next phase and will be contributing to the consultation process for this challenging and exciting project. Our members in marine engineering, science and technology will be considering the technical aspects of the designs, their potential for environmental damage, and their contribution to renewable energy targets; and we will respond accordingly.”
Dr David Lindley OBE, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“I very much welcome the re-examination of the pros and cons of the Severn Tidal Barrage schemes as one who was a member of the large team that worked on the very detailed engineering, environmental and financial assessment of the Cardiff Weston scheme in the 1980s, the results of which were published in 1989. This single project represents the single largest source of renewable energy at a time when the public are more aware than they were in the 1980s: that we have a limited range of options to deal with concerns about the impact on our environment of climate change; and that we recognise the need to identify more secure sources of energy supply than the finite supplies of gas and other fossil fuels than we have relied on to date.
“In the 20 year period since the study in the 1980s, governments of Europe have also initiated various support schemes to encourage the commercialisation of other renewable energies including wind energy; and the UK Government has modified the Renewable Obligation Support mechanism to encourage the construction of offshore wind farms that now have very similar costs to the Severn Barrage Scheme. Tidal Power schemes have the advantage of producing energy that is predictable and forecastable and are more easily accessed for operations and maintenance than offshore wind farms.
“My hope is that we are not commenting on the merits of this scheme following yet more studies and consultations in 2029!!”
Prof. David Elliott, co-Director of the Energy and Environment Research Unit at the Open University, said:
“The DECC short list inevitably includes the Cardiff Weston Barrage, since this is the most studied and largest option. But it is also the one that is most opposed by most environmental groups, since it would block the entire estuary, unlike the various lagoon schemes, which they would prefer. But missing from the chosen list is the ‘tidal fence’ proposal which would make use of tidal current turbines mounted in a causeway – that too would avoid massive environmental impact . Also missing is the tidal reef proposal- another, novel, less invasive option. It is good to see lagoon being taken seriously but DECC seem to have wanted to play it safe and avoid new ideas.
“But it is good to see that they are proposing further research and that they will consider these options later. Even though that makes the short list rather odd; just an interim exercise.
“However, quite apart from its environmental problems, the single big barrage idea is pretty hopeless in energy terms since it will only provide two short burst of power each 24 hour lunar cycle, and these will not necessarily match the daily cycles in energy demand. What do you do with 8.6GW of electricity in the middle of the night in summer when there is no demand for it? With 10GW of nuclear also on the grid- which is inflexible and can’t easily be switched off- and a lot of wind coming soon, there will be real balancing problems. Much better to have a lot of small tidal current turbines around the coast firing off at different times (since high tide is delayed at each point) and offering more like continuous power from the network as a whole. By contrast, as the Sustainable Development Commission calculated, by 2020, the Severn Barrage would only offset a relatively small amount of fuel used by gas turbines- saving only about 0.92% of UK emissions annually. Not much return for £15bn. It’s too big and too inflexible.”
Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of the Engineering and Technology Board, said:
“The Engineering and Technology Board (ETB), alongside Sectors Skills Councils Energy & Utility Skills, and Summitskills, have responded to the Government’s announcement of £500,000 to develop green and tidal technologies by highlighting the need for many more skilled engineering technicians to enable this to take place.
“As demonstrated in Engineering UK 2008, any stimulation of the renewable energy market will require thousands of new engineering technicians including 75,000 in micro wind energy and 52,000 in micro hydration alone, not to mention thousands more in ground and air source pumping and other necessary technologies.”
Peter Tavner, Professor of New & Renewable Energy at Durham University, said:
“The Energy Group here at Durham University School of Engineering are pleased and excited that the Government is moving ahead on a planned Severn Barrage Scheme.
“It is appropriate and essential that various options for the barrage are considered as these will have a long term effect on the environment and our ability to harness this enormous potential source for renewable energy, estimated at 8 GW.
“At Durham we would emphasize the importance of trying to garner from the Severn as large a proportion of that renewable resource as is practicable, consistent with environmental considerations.”
Professor Ian Fells, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:
“The Brean Down-Lavernock Point barrage will use proven technology, has by far the biggest potential for clean energy production, and the civil engineering companies are ready to start construction. So let’s get on with it.”
Dr Jeremy Leggett, CEO of Solarcentury, said:
“My main fear is that long-term capital-intensive projects like this reduce our chances of quickly making headway with energy efficiency and microgeneration. The Government now recognizes that solar PV has the potential to deliver over 18 TWh or 7% of the UK’s entire renewable energy target by 2020: more than the proposed Severn Barrage, which will not be operational until at least 2022, and a greater contribution than that suggested in the Governments’ Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) from wave, tidal stream and biomass electricity technologies. At Solarcentury, we are sure the potential is much higher even than that.”