Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to promote tidal power schemes since the decision was taken not to fund the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project.

The Department has had regular engagement with Parliamentary colleagues and industry to discuss energy policy matters, including on tidal energy.

Since 2003 the Government has made £174m innovation and grant funding available to wave, tidal stream technologies (£80m of that since 2010). As set out in the Clean Growth Strategy, wave, tidal stream and tidal range technologies could have a role in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK, but they will need to demonstrate how they can compete with other forms of generation.