TIDAL POWER IN THE SEVERN ESTUARY

Early day motion 2107, tabled 4 May 2006 by Jennifer Willott (Liberal Democrat). Signed by 44 members.

That this House welcomes the recent calls for a reappraisal of the Severn Barrage scheme; believes that with a tidal range of over 12 metres, the Severn Estuary is arguably the second best site in the world for generating tidal power; further believes that taking advantage of this clean and guaranteed renewable energy resource is essential if the UK is to achieve energy security and effectively combat climate change; further welcomes the advances in tidal power technology since the first proposals for a Severn barrage; and calls on the Government to undertake an immediate appraisal of the financial costs and ecological impact of the full range of tidal power options that could be used in the Severn Estuary so that the most suitable scheme can get underway as soon as possible.

Signatures by party: Liberal Democrat 22, Labour 15, Conservative 3, DUP 2, Plaid Cymru 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.