The Crown Estate has pledged to give £150,000 to support the Severn Estuary Commission’s work to explore the potential for sustainable energy from the Severn Estuary.
The Severn Estuary has the highest tidal range in Europe and has been estimated to have the potential provide up to 7% of the UK’s total energy needs, but dozens of previous schemes have failed to be delivered due to costs, complexity or the projected loss of wildlife.
Launched by the Western Gateway Partnership in March 2024, the Severn Estuary Commission is exploring whether there is now a potential solution which could harness the incredible tidal energy of the Severn Estuary whilst also protecting important natural habitats.
Sunset over the lighthouse at Burnham on Sea on the Somerset Coast
Crown Estate funds
The Crown Estate has committed to funding research by the Commission to explore the potential impacts on the environment and economy of the Severn Estuary whilst also looking at what energy solutions can be used to harness this power.
Mike Dobson, New Energies Portfolio Manager at The Crown Estate, said: “The Severn Estuary is a vital natural resource with immense environmental and economic significance. No one source will deliver the UK’s energy transition; we must explore a range of technologies as part of our future energy mix.
“We’re pleased to support the work being undertaken by the Severn Estuary Commission to develop an evidence-based view on the region’s potential for clean renewable energy.”
However, the assessment of the feasibility of schemes within the estuary is not new – the Sustainable Development Commission in 2007 released a comprehensive report and ten years later the ‘Hendry Review’ was published. There were also numerous reports and studies before, during and after these.
Severn Estuary tidal power back on the agenda
Experts from across the UK met for the first time in Cardiff earlier in 2024 at the launch of the Commission. Alongside this, the commission will be publishing a new report from the consultants WSP explaining why there is now a case to re-examine the potential of the estuary to deliver sustainable energy.
Political backing
Nuclear and Renewables minister Andrew Bowie MP, said at the launch of the Commission: “It is great to see the Western Gateway partnership launching this new commission to explore the potential of the Severn Estuary.
Welsh climate change minister Julie James is backing the proposal, and said “We warmly welcome the establishment of the Western Gateway’s Severn Estuary Commission and commitment to exploring the immense energy potential of this important landmark,” she said. “The Welsh Government has already stated our ambition for Wales to become a world centre for emerging tidal technologies.
“By bringing together national experts from across Wales and England to explore this issue I am confident that the commission will be able to consider the needs of our vital ecosystems, the environment and other sea users alongside the potential for renewable energy. Through our Tidal Lagoon Challenge, I look forward to being able to collaborate to develop the sector’s knowledge base and understand the opportunities presented by our Welsh waters,” she added.
Severn Estuary tidal power plans must be ‘nature positive’
Annie Smith, head of nature policy at RSPB Cymru, said at the time of the launch of the Commission that it must strike the correct balance when setting out its work.
“The huge tidal range that makes it [the Severn Estuary] such a high energy system also makes it globally important for wildlife, providing vital habitats for tens of thousands of wading birds and water fowl, and for rare fish species that migrate from the sea to spawn in our rivers,” she said.
“This new commission must rise to the challenge of finding innovative ways to harness the energy of the estuary system in a way that is nature positive – to contribute not only to net zero, but to the UK’s global commitment to restore biodiversity,” she added.