Two Councils Join Forces In £1 billion Hydro Electric Scheme

In what could turn out to be one of the most interesting of “marriages” between local authorities, the councils of Cardiff and Bristol are joining forces in what could be the first of a series of ground breaking collaborations.

Unsurprisingly in view of the geographical position of both cities, the project in question relates to a hydro electric development in the Severn Estuary, involving further plans to harness the energy created by the second highest tidal range in the world.

The Severn Estuary - a huge tidal range

The two authorities are hopeful of signing a memorandum of understanding once it has been approved by both cabinets, and assuming that it goes ahead the Cardiff authority said the first joint initiative could be a twin tidal lagoon.

With the proposed Severn Barrage currently running into stormy water, it is suggested that the proposed tidal lagoons could generate enough electricity to power the whole of the region.
"Obviously the tidal lagoon is what's catching the headlines today, but that's only part of something much bigger," said councillor Ashley Govier, Cardiff council's cabinet member for environment.

"Cardiff and Bristol are both too small to compete on our own with the city-regions of London, Birmingham and Manchester, but we can be big players if we work regionally and collaboratively.

"Taking charge of our own green and affordable energy needs is part of that, but also we need to work on housing, transport and a whole raft of issues to make the Severnside area a more attractive place to live and work."

Under the proposal, the project would consist of a series of hydro-turbines encased in a concrete wall at either side of the Severn Estuary. The scheme is similar to one currently being considered in Swansea, although the Cardiff/Bristol project would double the renewable electricity for 100,000 homes that Swansea hope to achieve. There are even suggestions that neighbouring authorities could be involved.

"As the biggest two authorities, Cardiff and Bristol had to take the initiative on this project and on the regional partnership as a whole," added Mr Govier. "But we very much want to bring in our neighbouring authorities, so for us the Vale of Glamorgan, Newport etc and from Bristol's point of view the Somerset authorities."

The project would work by harnessing the Severn's tides behind concrete dams. When there is a sufficient difference between the depths on either side of the dam, sluice gates would be opened to release the trapped water, turning turbines and generating the electricity.

Mr Govier said that while Cardiff and Bristol were in discussions with several private companies, he hoped it would remain a project which could ultimately benefit taxpayers.

"The scale of the tidal lagoon project we're envisaging would cost considerably more than £1bn, so it's obvious that the only way we could achieve it would be with private backing," he said. But it's not something we'd just sell on, it has to have a tangible benefit for the region and its people.

"We could either sell the electricity into the National Grid to raise income and reduce our reliance on taxation, or alternatively we could sell it to a specific electricity supplier with the caveat that it has to be passed on to consumers in the region at a heavily reduced rate." He added: "As a council and a region we need to be doing more to make Severnside an attractive option for business to come to."