Abstract
The Western Gateway is the UK’s only pan-regional partnership covering two countries. Comprising 28 Local Authorities, one Mayoral Combined Authority in England, and two Corporate Joint Committees in Wales, it represents over 4.8 million people. The Partnership exists to generate and support economic growth; using shared strengths to find new ways to reach net zero, create opportunities for communities, and, in the process, build a sustainable economy
The Severn Estuary sits at the heart of Western Gateway’s geography and has long been recognised for its potential to generate clean, renewable electricity. The combination of climate change, increasing energy demand and the UK’s legally binding net-zero commitments compelled the Western Gateway Partnership to re-examine this potential.
An independent commission was therefore launched to consider the feasibility of developing tidal range energy in the Severn Estuary, to capture its significant energy potential and to facilitate economic growth in the Western Gateway Region, while taking proper account of the Estuary’s extraordinary environmental importance.
Chaired by Andrew Garrad CBE FREng, the Severn Estuary Commission comprises experts in science, engineering, finance, sustainable development, and environmental disciplines. Using input from specialist consultancies it has considered the following key areas:
• engineering viability,
• environmental impact,
• electrical system integration,
• socio-economic factors, and
• funding and financing models.
The individual detailed reports are available online.
The Commission has spent a year considering expert analysis and engaging with hundreds of stakeholders in these areas. This report draws that information together to address the core question of the feasibility of generating sustainable electricity from the Severn Estuary. The Commission has used example projects, of a range of sizes and types, as a basis for this analysis, but its role is not to promote a particular project. Instead, it has focused on assessing the feasibility of tidal range energy in the Estuary as a whole.