MP pushes for tidal lagoon in Bristol Channel

Building a tidal lagoon in the Bristol Channel could provide clean energy for 120 years, an MP has said.

The proposed West Somerset Lagoon, which would cost £10bn to build, would run nine miles (14km) from Minehead to Watchet in Somerset.

Its lifespan would be twice that of a nuclear power plant, said Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour.

Mrs Gilmour said she will soon be discussing the proposal with ministers. If the project is pursued, it could be up and running by 2038 – bringing jobs and financial benefits to the area.

Tiverton and Minehead MP Rachel Gilmour (centre) with members of the Watchet Coastal Community Team

The lagoon would sit just a few miles west of Somerset's new nuclear power station, Hinkley Point C, which is expected to be operational by the end of the decade.

Hinkley Point C could provide up to 7% of the UK's power needs once up and running.

Speaking about the tidal lagoon proposal during a meeting organised by the Watchet Coastal Community Team, Mrs Gilmour said: "If this comes off, it will provide two-thirds of the electricity that Hinkley Point C would provide."

She added: "Given that Hinkley Point C has cost £30bn and they still haven't turned it on, the cost doesn't seem to be a major factor."

Harnessing the Severn

The tidal lagoon would comprise more than 200 concrete caissons – structures used in marine engineering – in the Bristol Channel, arranged in a semicircle between Minehead and Watchet, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Up to 125 turbines would be installed, which would generate electricity from the tidal movements of the River Severn.

There would be locks within the lagoon structure at Minehead and Watchet, allowing the towns' harbours to stay open to commercial ships and leisure crafts.

In addition to power generation, the website for the project pledges to deliver a new promenade in Minehead, along with an arts centre and visitor centre and a new ferry terminal to make it easier to visit the town.