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Ten green(ish) options for the SevernLast modified: 24 July 2008
The government has today announced the ten proposals it will consider to harness energy from the Severn Estuary’s tides. The ten will be judged in the government-commissioned feasibility study assessing the estuary’s energy potential. They include two schemes that would cause considerable environmental damage – a ten-mile tidal barrage and a Severn lake. Other schemes on the list could cause much less harm, notably a tidal reef project that may not affect the estuary’s heavily protected wildlife habitats. Martin Harper, Head of Sustainable Development at the RSPB, 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. The barrage proposal would also be hugely expensive compared to other ways of generating the same amount of green energy. "The government has called for a green energy revolution but this must take nature into account. Meeting renewables targets will need a range of initiatives ranging from better energy efficiency to demand management and of course clean energy projects in the right place. "To help this happen, much more should be done to guide developers away from protected areas still leaving ample alternatives for renewable developments."
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Curlew feeding in grassy field - Steve Round
Red admiral on Michaelmas daisy - Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
Bird illustrations by Mike Langman (RSPB)