Weekly Intelligence Brief
Tidal energy study commissioned for Cumbria
11 March 2010
UK-based engineering consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff has been commissioned to explore options for tidal energy generation across the Duddon Estuary in South Cumbria.
The study has been commissioned by regeneration organisation Britain’s Energy Coast West Cumbria and will seek to identify the best options for any potential development.
The study has been funded with a £30,000 grant from Britain’s Energy Coast West Cumbria and a further £30,000 from the Carbon Challenge Fund, which is administered by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).
The company, which is currently leading the consortium appointed by the UK government to study the potential of tidal power on the Severn, will review the findings of previous studies carried out by Balfour Beatty and Sir Robert McAlpine for the Department for Trade and Industry back in 1994; while taking into account the recent revival of interest in tidal energy and the introduction of challenging renewable energy and carbon reduction targets.
As part of the study, tidal barrages, fences, reefs and other innovative technologies will all be considered along with the potential for a road link between Millom and Barrow-in-Furness. This latest study for a Duddon Estuary Tidal Energy Scheme will examine options from an energy, infrastructure and environmental perspective. It will asses the suitability of existing and emerging tidal technologies, set against the cost of development and the potential environmental impact of any scheme.
Parsons Brinckerhoff and Britain’s Energy Coast West Cumbria will hold a workshop for invited key stakeholders in March, and a second more comprehensive workshop before it publishes the findings of the study in the summer.
Read more:
Northwest Regional Development Agency: http://social.tidaltoday.com/search/node/Northwest+Regional+Development+Agency
