UK government axes Severn Estuary barrage plan

18 October 2010Plans for a 10-mile barrage across the Severn estuary to generate renewable electricity from the tides have been dropped by the UK government. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said the scheme's costs were "excessive". Mr Huhne said other low carbon options represented a better deal for taxpayers and consumers. Shadow Welsh Secretary Peter Hain earlier said scrapping the barrage plan would be "equally disastrous" for the economy and the environment. The Severn Tidal Power feasibility study conclusions, published on Monday, found there was no strategic case for major public sector investment in a large-scale energy project in the Severn estuary at this time.It would be very costly to deliver and very challenging to attract the necessary investment from the private sector alone, the study said. The study showed that a tidal power scheme in the estuary could cost in excess of £30bn, making it high cost and high risk in comparison to other ways of generating electricity. The report did recommend that a Severn tidal project should not be ruled out as a longer term option if market conditions change. But it noted significant uncertainty over complying with regulation and that a scheme would fundamentally change the ...