Comments on: What is Stopping the Severn Barrage?

By: wind

wind — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:09:07 +0000

I understand that the barrage would generate on the ebb-tide, operating about 5 hrs out of the 12.5 hr cycle, but using pumps to store water for peak energy demand times. The important thing is that it would offset burning coal and gas in power stations. I have not looked at the detailed figures but I’d hazard a guess that it is no more expensive that nuclear (including decommissioning)

By: Bryn Howells

Bryn Howells — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:33:15 +0000

How many hours per day would the barrage turbines produce electricity? Would the barrage reduce the need for power stations to generate the base load? How can the high cost of construction be justified?

By: Martin Gardner

Martin Gardner — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:40:35 +0000

Terry, your point is a reasonable one, but essentially what you advocate is that the mud flats are going to be destryoed if we do nothing, therefore we may as well destroy them now to try to prevent them from being destroyed. This argument doesn’t really stack up when you consider that there are potentially other ways in which we could reduce our carbon emmissions sufficiently whilst also leaving the mud flats intact.
As for the original question, it seems to me that the answer is probably to do with political will. The energy utilities are unlikely to devote such massive funds individually or as a JV to a project which is guaranteed to attract controversy and environmental protests and any political party will be exactly the same – they will not want to become too closely associated with such a political hot potato. The public perception is not of Rupert’s more environmentally sensitive proposal, but of the much more damaging Cardiff-Weston proposal, and it will take a massive PR campaign to convince voters that an efficient project which doesn’t do too much damage to the environment can be achieved.

By: Terry Portwain

Terry Portwain — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:28:51 +0000

This may sound flippant, but I feel its valid: perhaps someone should point out to the RSPB that unless we embrace energy sources akin to the Severn Barrage, those mudflats that they are so keen to preserve will disappear under rising sea levels in the not to distant future.

By: Vicky Portwain

Vicky Portwain — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 18:20:30 +0000

Hi Rupert

Check out the following post which does briefly mention the alternatives…

http://www.windenergyplanning.com/tidal-power-one-step-further-to-reality-in-the-uk/

How much energy is your alternative set to generate?

Vicky

By: Rupert Armstrong Evans

Rupert Armstrong Evans — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:47:51 +0000

Why when anyone talkes about using the power of the tide in the Severn Estuary do they always concentrate on the most controversial and environmentally damaging option, the Cardiff-Weston Barrage. There are other projects including mine, the ‘Severn Tidal Reef’ that could not only generate as much or more power but also has the support of all the main environmental groups lead by the R.S.P.B.

Isn’t it time we took a more mature attitude and cooperated to make this project work?