The no-brainer alternative

I WONDER if I could give you some more information on the potential Severn Barrage.

It only makes sense to generate simply massive amounts of renewable energy adjacent to the main urban markets of South Wales and Bristol; a tidal construction which over 125 plus years is massively carbon negative.

It delivers flood protection from increasing surge risk to 100,000 homes.

This can green the entire West/ Wales region driving energy security confidence and research re intermittency storage; to de carbonise transport/industry/domestic homes we need a lot of energy.

A barrage would guarantee Avonmouth and Newport against serious sea level rise scenarios; this is a strategic interest.

The calming of the estuary will mitigate some of the wildlife habitats that will be lost anyway to sea level rise. It is highly conceivable that Bridgwater Bay will be significantly enhanced adjacent to the internationally important Somerset Levels as turbidity is reduced and mud deposition increased.

It is very possible a barrage, if turbines closed, can also allow flood relief to the Wye and Severn river catchments by slowing tidal “push back” at crucial moments and accelerate drainage; it will remove exponentially increasing surge risk entirely from the entire Bristol, Gloucester upper estuary and reduce flood risk by a metre east of a line from Swansea to Minehead.

So much power is lost in transmission from remote West renewable sites; this surely is the nobrainer alternative.

Predictable renewable tidal energy in large quantities from the largest tidal resource in the world, rather than scattered mini nuclear power stations which seems the “incredible” unpredictable Governmental alternative?

Peter Hack

Bristol