The UK Government has said that Tidal Power’s five-year development consent order (DCO) for its £1.3 billion project lapsed at the end of June – a position shared by Swansea Council.

Tidal Power claims it has extended the DCO in perpetuity by starting land-based works – namely knocking down a wall at Swansea docks – on June 29, a day before the deadline.

Richard Ambrose project director at Tidal Power plc, said it would take tens of millions of pounds to start from scratch again and take forward any new tidal lagoon proposal. They want to sit down with the council and Government representatives to find a way forward, despite the latter insisting the £1.3 billion project no longer has planning permission.  He said Tidal Power’s privately-funded project – comprising a six mile seawall and turbines generating the equivalent electricity used by 155,000 households was a “vast opportunity” which “needs to happen now”.

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