How tides can generate an industrial revolution
Ever since the Victorians discovered the health benefits of seaside resorts, one of the natural advantages for Wales has been the 870 miles of coastline which have become one of the biggest attractions for tourists visiting our country.
But it is not only leisure activities which can benefit from utilising this natural resource – it is clear that there is enormous potential for tidal power as an alternative to other forms of electricity generation.
However, nothing much had been done to try to harness the energy around our coastline until recently, when it was announced the world’s first tidal lagoon would be built in Swansea Bay.
So what does a tidal lagoon do? Simply put, it is a U-shaped breakwater built out from the coast containing a bank of hydro turbines.
Water fills up and empties the man-made lagoon as the tides rise and fall. Electricity is generated by the incoming and outgoing tides, four times a day, every day.
And that is where Wales has a natural advantage – the tidal range along the west coast of Britain is amongst the highest in the world and this can create a 14ft-high difference in water between the outside and inside of the lagoon.
Power is then created when this water rushes through 200ft-long tubes to rotate the turbines.
It is a simple but effective way of generating power and the first lagoon, which is now waiting to be built in Swansea, will generate enough electricity for 155,000 homes for the next 120 years.
If successful, the model will be rolled out to another five lagoons across the UK which, collectively, have the power to generate 8% of our electricity within the next decade.
More importantly for the Welsh economy, it has the potential to create a £40bn investment programme, with at least half the materials and machinery utilised for the lagoons sourced from Welsh firms, generating a new and sustainable industry with global potential.
This national fleet of six lagoons would contribute an estimated £27bn to UK prosperity and create or support 36,000 jobs, with the potential to increase exports by £3.7bn per year.
These include not only a lagoon in Cardiff Bay – with a potential annual power output that could comfortably meet the equivalent of the annual electricity requirement of every home in Wales – but also one off the coastline of Colwyn Bay.
This will not only generate electricity for the region but could act as extra flood protection, as existing safeguards have been hit hard in recent years by the sea breaching defences.
So given these advantages to both north and south Wales, why hasn’t the project even started yet?
It certainly doesn’t lack political backing among both AMs and MPs, with most supporting its development.
More importantly, a review was commissioned by the last UK Government to assess the strategic case for tidal lagoons, led by the former energy minister Charles Hendry.
It proposed that not only could tidal lagoons be an effective part of the UK’s energy mix but that there was real value in supporting a pilot project, such as the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon, to test the concept.
It also pointed out that if proven successful, tidal lagoons could deliver security of supply and help deliver the UK’s carbon emissions target, as well as creating substantial opportunities for the UK supply chain in building them.
Many believe that with cross-party political backing and expert evidence of their importance, there is no excuse for the UK Government not to test the concept in Swansea Bay – despite more obfuscation this week from ministers over whether there will be an agreement on how much subsidy it should receive for the energy generated, which is critical to the success of the project.
Certainly, a positive decision may go some way to addressing concerns that Wales is being ignored by the UK Government when it comes to serious investment, despite the recent City Deals for both Swansea Bay and the Cardiff Capital region.
Unlike other large projects that have recently been proposed for Wales but turned down, this really does have the potenial to be an international game-changer and create a world-leading industry here in Wales that will have benefits across the nation.
It may also throw a spotlight on other alternative energy projects that are being developed and attract the necessary backing for their development.
Therefore, with the clock ticking on their construction, I hope that the UK Government will finally announce a positive decision on a way forward for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon before MPs leave for the summer recess, and help to kickstart an economic revival of our second city and the region around it.