Tidal Lagoon Power

Tidal Lagoon Power
Name	Tidal Lagoon Power
Type	Private company
Industry	Renewable energy
Founded	2011
Headquarters	Cardiff
Key people	Mark Shorrock
Products	Tidal power projects

Tidal Lagoon Power was a British company formed to develop large-scale tidal lagoon projects to generate renewable electricity using tidal range technology. The company proposed engineered coastal enclosures to harness tidal currents by enclosing bays or building artificial embankments, aiming to deliver predictable baseload power complementing wind and solar sources. It engaged with stakeholders across the United Kingdom and internationally, interacting with regulators, investors, and academic institutions.

Overview

Tidal Lagoon Power emerged amid debates over the viability of marine energy alongside Crown Estate, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, UK Parliament, Department of Energy and Climate Change, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and private developers. The company’s flagship proposals attracted attention from National Grid, Ofgem, Carbon Trust, Committee on Climate Change, and campaign groups such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. The business model emphasized long-term contracts with entities like Electricity System Operator counterparts and negotiations with financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, Barclays, HSBC, and European Investment Bank.

Technology and Design

Designs were based on tidal range technology similar to historical schemes like La Rance Tidal Power Station and contemporary projects such as Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station. Proposals incorporated low-head reversible turbines akin to Kaplan turbine variants and innovations from research at University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London, Cranfield University, and University of Exeter. Engineering consulting firms including Arup, Mott MacDonald, and Atkins contributed feasibility modelling, hydrodynamic simulations, and environmental monitoring plans. Grid integration studies involved National Grid ESO, transmission firms like Scottish Power, SSE plc, and standards from International Electrotechnical Commission committees.

Environmental and Ecological Impacts

Environmental assessment work referenced precedents at Mont Saint-Michel Bay and Severn Estuary studies, drawing on methodologies from Natural England, Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, and academic groups at University of Southampton and Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Concerns noted impacts on migratory species protected under directives such as the Birds Directive and Habitats Directive, with species-level attention to migratory fish populations including salmon, eel, and shorebirds like bar-tailed godwit and oystercatcher. Environmental mitigation strategies engaged conservation bodies including Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Marine Conservation Society and invoked compensation measures familiar from Wetland mitigation practice.

Economic and Policy Considerations

Economic appraisals involved levelized cost of electricity comparisons with offshore wind, nuclear power, combined cycle gas turbine, and solar photovoltaic technologies. Policy discussions intersected with mechanisms like Contracts for Difference used in the Electricity Market Reform framework and investment instruments from Green Investment Bank and sovereign funds such as Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund. Parliamentary scrutiny included select committees in the House of Commons and debates involving ministers from 10 Downing Street and influential figures associated with climate policy like Nicholas Stern and Lord Deben. Cost-benefit analyses referenced work by Institute for Public Policy Research and Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

Notable Projects and Proposals

The company’s principal proposal was a lagoon in the Cardiff Bay / Severn Estuary area analogous in scale to proposals for Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and larger coastal enclosures. Other schemes considered locations with suitable tidal ranges such as sites near Morecambe Bay, Duddon Estuary, Bridgwater Bay, and international concepts inspired by proposals in India, Bangladesh, China, and Canada. Project stakeholders included regional authorities like Swansea Council and investment partners explored relationships with entities such as Siemens and Toshiba.

Engineering Challenges and Construction

Construction planning drew on experience from large civil works like Three Gorges Dam, Delta Works, and reclamation projects in Netherlands and Singapore. Challenges included foundation engineering in estuarine silts, scour protection, sediment transport modelling led by teams at National Oceanography Centre and British Geological Survey, and marine logistics coordinated with ports such as Port of Bristol and Port of Liverpool. Contractors familiar with marine construction such as Balfour Beatty, Laing O'Rourke, and Vinci featured in procurement discussions, alongside standards from Institution of Civil Engineers and safety oversight from Health and Safety Executive.

Future Prospects and Research Directions

Research needs highlighted by universities and research councils including UK Research and Innovation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and Natural Environment Research Council covered turbine efficiency, materials science from Cranfield University, ecological monitoring methods led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and socio-economic modelling from London School of Economics. International collaborations looked to lessons from France, South Korea, and Japan and integration with storage solutions like pumped-storage hydroelectricity and emerging battery technologies developed by firms such as Tesla and Siemens Gamesa. Policy pathways referenced commitments under the Paris Agreement and net-zero targets legislated by the UK Parliament.

Category:Renewable energy companies