Swansea Tidal Lagoon Project Update

A tidal lagoon energy project could still push through even without UK government backing, says Swansea council.

21:33 02 July 2018

The £1.3bn tidal lagoon project, which has been previously rejected by the UK government, can still push through, the leader of the Swansea council has said.

 

The Welsh government said it did not have the powers nor the resources to step in and get the lagoon built but Swansea council leader Rob Stewart said that the project could still push through by finding other ways of paying for it and selling the energy.

 

The project’s goal was for it to lead a fleet of larger, more powerful lagoons in Cardiff, Newport, Bridgewater Bay, Colwyn Bay and off the coast of Cumbria.

 

Mr Stewart, who met First Minister Carwyn Jones on Wednesday, said: "He and I are of the same opinion which is that the current funding proposal isn't going to go forward,"

 

"However lagoon technology is something that still has legs, is something still supportable, and the first minister is keen that we continue to explore that."

 

Nigel Annett, the former head of Dwr Cymru, said that the lagoon could be built without any government subsidy at all - whether Westminster or Cardiff Bay.

 

He said: "The water industry, not just in Wales but across the UK, could be persuaded to pre-purchase the energy, and it would then use its financial ability to finance this project at a low cost.

 

"The end result would be that the cost of energy would be low, well below today's market prices."