Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay
| Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay | |
|---|---|
  Location of Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay | |
| Country | Wales |
| Location | Swansea Bay |
| Coordinates | 51°35′52″N 3°54′23″W / 51.5977°N 3.9064°WCoordinates: 51°35′52″N 3°54′23″W / 51.5977°N 3.9064°W |
| Status | Proposed |
| Commission date | 2019 |
| Construction cost | £1.3 Billion |
| Owner(s) | Tidal Lagoon (Swansea Bay) Plc |
| Operator(s) | Tidal Lagoon (Swansea Bay) Plc |
| Tidal power station | |
| Type | Tidal lagoon |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 320 MW |
|
Website www | |
Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay is a proposed tidal lagoon power plant, to be constructed in Swansea Bay off the south coast of Wales, United Kingdom. If built it would be the world's first tidal lagoon power plant.[1]
Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay would operate 14 hours per day with a maximum output of 320MW (nameplate capacity),[2] power around 155,000 Welsh homes[3] and, for a period, sustain over 2,200 construction and manufacturing jobs.[4]
It is also to be constructed to withstand 500-year-storms and to function as a coastline protection against storms and floods.[5]
The project was named as part of the UK government's 2014 National Infrastructure Plan[6] and was granted planning permission by the Department for Energy and Climate Change in June 2015.[1]
Other sites
Tidal Lagoon Power in promoting this pathfinder project, proposes it as the first of six tidal lagoon power plants it would like to construct in the United Kingdom, (four in Wales). Claiming they could meet up to 8% of UK electricity demand, or power for around 30% of UK homes. Tidal Lagoon Power is also progressing a number of potential projects overseas.
To date, approximately £35 million has been spent on project development. With the exception of a commercial loan from Welsh Government this has been financed privately.
Reviews
In January 2017, a government-commissioned review gave backing to the technology's viability and the concept of tidal generation, but not specifically to this company's commercial proposal.[7][8] The economics of the proposal has been criticised.[9]
Charles Hendry published a report concluding the £1.3bn scheme would be a "no regrets" option. Developers hope the project could kick-start a new industry and other developments will follow. The effects on fish and wildlife are being assessed.[10]
Technology
- 9.5km of seawalls, impounding 11.5km2 of the seabed[11]
- 16 bidirectional turbines[11]
- Each turbine is 7.2m in diameter[11]
- Variable speed regulation reduces the harm to fish [12]
Roman concrete has been proposed as a suitable material for constructing the sea walls.[13]
References
- 1 2 Elsevier Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, United Kingdom. "Green light for world's first tidal lagoon". renewableenergyfocus.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Proposal overview & vision". Tidallagoonswanseabay.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Key Statistics - Tidal Lagoon". Tidal Lagoon. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
- ↑ "Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon : Research : Access Latest LMI : Learning and Skills Observatory for Wales". www.learningobservatory.com. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
- ↑ Shaun Waters, George Aggidis: A World First: Swansea Bay Tidal lagoon in review. In: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 56, (2016), 916–921, doi:10.1016/j.rser.2015.12.011.
- ↑ "Swansea Bay tidal lagoon given UK government boost". BBC News. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- ↑ "Tidal lagoon: £1.3bn Swansea Bay project backed by review". BBC News. 12 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ↑ "The Role of Tidal Lagoons" (PDF). Hendryreview.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ↑ Jonathan Ford (15 January 2017). "(Paywall) Tidal power swamped by dubious mathematics". Financial Times. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ↑ Swansea tidal lagoon review head Charles Hendry 'hopeful' BBC
- 1 2 3 "Environmental Statement: Non-Technical Summary (6.1)" (PDF). Tidallagoon.opendebate.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ↑ Tidal Lagoon Power. "Turbine Technology". Tidallagoonpower.com. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ↑ McGrath, Matt (4 July 2017). "Scientists explain ancient Rome's long-lasting concrete". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2017.