The Prime Minister has this week given fresh hope that a huge tidal lagoon will be built in Bridgwater Bay near Burnham-On-Sea.
The lagoon, which we first reported here, was mentioned by David Cameron during the first Prime Minister’s Questions of the new Parliament this week.
Gloucester MP Richard Graham asked the Prime Minister about tidal lagoons in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel.
Mr Cameron replied that he could see that “tidal power has significant potential” and he welcomed the possible Chinese investment in the company seeking to build the lagoons.
Burnham-On-Sea’s MP James Heappey said afterwards: “I made the case to the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Energy Secretary Amber Rudd during the election campaign and I am delighted to see that it now features so prominently in their thinking.”
“The Bridgwater Bay Lagoon will be a great opportunity for our area and I am heartened to see the PM’s enthusiasm for the technology.”
The lagoon would be one of six to be introduced across the UK – including four in Wales and another in Cumbria – to capture incoming and outgoing tides behind giant sea walls to power turbines. They could generate 8% of the UK’s energy for an investment of £30bn. It could also create scores of new jobs.
