U.K. Tidal Barrage Gets New Backers

---

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - Plans to refloat the massive Severn Tidal Barrage energy project in the U.K. progressed this week with the announcement that five, leading companies from the engineering, logistics and construction sectors have pledged to help with the proposal.

Hafren Power, a company formed by a number of British entrepreneurs and investors, is behind the plan to build the €29 billion ($37 billion) tidal energy project which will see 18km electricity generating barrage built across the Severn estuary, running between Brean in England and Lavernock Point in Wales. If successful, it would be the world's largest tidal barrage and be capable of generating about 5% of the U.K.'s total electricity.

Engineering firm Arup (Perth, Western Australia), Bechtel Corporation (San Francisco, California), DHL (Bonn, Germany), Mott Macdonald (England) and URS Corporation (NYSE:URS) (San Francisco, California) have added their support to getting the Severn project off the ground. They are assessing the delivery model needed to manage the consent and environmental approval processes. The project will take an estimated nine years to build and would be the biggest British infrastructure project since the Channel Tunnel.

"Government has an open mind on our proposal and we are working hard to provide further details of construction, environmental and business impacts and mitigation," declared Tony Pryor, Chief Executive, Hafren Power. "These companies have successful track records in delivering large infrastructure projects and are bringing considerable expertise and momentum to the process. As part of the energy mix, tidal power is greatly under-utilised. As a sustainable energy source the Severn estuary barrage will help the U.K. meet its renewable energy requirements. The engineering could also become the standard for schemes elsewhere in the world."

The U.K. government of 2010 abandoned the project after eight years of troubled development that saw proposed costs more than double. For additional information see October 20, 2010, article - U.K. Sinks Severn Tidal Barrage Project.

In late 2012, the new coalition government breathed life into the project when it's influential Energy and Climate Change Committee called for fresh evidence. For additional information see November 15, 2012, article - U.K. to Re-assess Severn Tidal Barrage.

The Severn Estuary has the second largest tidal range in the world at 14 meters. The barrage would boast 1,026 turbines capable of generating 6,500-megawatts (MW) making it one of the biggest power stations in the world. It has a minimum lifespan of 120 years which Hafren noted was 'far longer than any coal, gas or nuclear power station' but which would probably operate for much longer than that.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.