The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has stated that projects like a large barrage or tidal lagoons would fundamentally change the nature of the Severn Estuary.
The comment from RSPB was in response to the list of 10 possibilities for a tidal power project in the mouth of the River Severn, unveiled by the Government recently. As per the information available, over the next two years, these 10 rival schemes will be studied in depth and whittled down into one proposal for generating environmentally-friendly power from the Severn Estuary. The list includes six barrages, two types of lagoon, a tidal fence and a tidal reef.
Expressing concerns on the behalf of RSPB, its head of Sustainable Development, Martin Harper reportedly said it is right that all options for clean energy generation be considered but the feasibility study should rule out projects where the damage and costs outweigh the benefits.
"Projects like a large barrage or tidal lagoons would fundamentally change the nature of the Severn Estuary which is heavily protected by law," he said. "The government has called for a green energy revolution but this must take nature into account."
For his part, Wales' Environment Minister Jane Davidson, according to walesonline.co.uk, said, "The potential here is great and the Severn Estuary is a resource that could help us make a significant contribution to the proposed UK renewables target of 15 percent by 2020."
Going forward, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) feasibility study into Severn tidal power, that is already underway, will now look at the proposals. A shortlist will be published later in the year of the proposals that will be researched further.
Even in the past, environmental groups such as RSPB, Friends of the Earth (FoE) and WWF have expressed concerns over the proposals for a tidal barrage across the Severn estuary.
Regarding the construction of a barrage across the Severn, RSPB has indicated that construction will cause the emission of ten million tonnes of carbon. Greenhouse gas savings will be substantial in the long run, but those savings could be too late to avert the damage of climate change.
