ABERDEEN – The Scottish consultancy Sigma Offshore has been brought in by the consortium behind a £3.5 billion plan to generate 1% of the UK’s energy needs through tidal power technology. The Severn Tidal Fence Group (STFG) has been contracted by the Government to investigate the feasibility of a tidal fence across the Severn Estuary.
STFG’s plan involves a line of underwater turbines that would use the strong current of the Bristol Channel to generate energy. The development would have the capacity to generate 1.3 gigawatts (GW). STFG comprises major multi-national organisations including AMEC, BMT Group, Econnect, Edinburgh University, IT Power, Marubeni Europe, NaREC, and Pulse Tidal Ltd.
March Paish from the STF Group says: “The Group’s preliminary investigation into a tidal fence in the same area as the proposed Weston–Cardiff barrage shows a fence would allow shipping to pass through and so keep open the ports of Cardiff and Bristol, whereas the barrage risks their closure. The fence also allows the migration of salmon, and it would only slightly reduce the areas of mudflats that are an important habitat for migrating birds.”
More at www.sigmaoffshore.com
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