Nov 30 2010
The tidal power projects are slowly loosing momentum and are gradually on the decline. The recent shift in the policy announcement in the UK frightens the future of tidal power and leaves them without assistance.
Last month the government of UK pulled back its support it had earlier given to a tidal project across the Severn Estuary. The tidal barrage project started at an estimated cost of $24 billion and designed to meet around 5% of total power needs of the UK was abandoned by the government, quoting its enormous project costs. The government withdrew its support and said that its two years viability study estimated the project costs over $54 billion and negated the use of public finance over a risky and costly project. The project also received negative criticisms from the environmentalists, who objected to the destruction of marsh and mud flats and its consequential adverse impact to the birds that use the location and its total stopping of relocation movements of the fish that live over there. The government conceded to the request of the environmentalists and refused to fund the project further.
On the other hand the tidal stream projects received fewer objections from the environmentalists. Experts are of the opinion that nearly 15% to 20% of the UK power needs can be met from tidal stream projects. SeaGen, a known tidal-stream generator operating company, has placed its turbines at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland with tremendous potential for swift tidal current. SeaGen along with its backing company Marine Current Turbines, is also working with RWE ,a German utility company in North Wales, on a tidal energy project. Together the companies are looking forward to establishing a number of tidal farms away from Pentland Firth, Scotland, a place often dubbed as the Saudi Arabia of marine energy.
According to Stephanie Merry, Marine Sector Advisor to the Renewable Energy Association of the UK, the government through its unclear messages is scaring the investors in coastal zones. The move of the government to declare a number of coastal locations as marine protected zones will go beyond the areas that are best suited for tidal energy development and discourage the investors.