Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment he has made of the contribution of tidal impoundment to renewable energy production in the UK.
In 2007, the Government published the Atlas of UK marine renewable energy resources (see attached), which assesses, amongst other things, the tidal range resource around the UK.
The Government’s 2010 Severn Tidal Power feasibility study [1] then assessed the potential for 5 generic Severn Estuary schemes, including potential energy production.
Following this, the 2012 Crown Estate’s UK Wave and Tidal Key Resource Areas [2] assessed the theoretical resource of tidal barrage and tidal lagoons across the UK at 96 TWh/year (45 GW) and 25 TWh/year (14 GW) respectively.
[2] The Crown Estate, UK Wave and Tidal Key Resource Areas Project, Summary Report, October 2012