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Severn shortlist 'seriously flawed'

Last modified: 08 May 2009

The Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary - Philip Halling (geograph.org.uk)

The Government’s shortlist of tidal power schemes for the Severn Estuary is 'seriously flawed' and should be scrapped according to an expert review of the advice ministers were given.

Commissioned by an alliance of environmental organisations, the review from engineers Atkins says the list was drawn up based on out-of-date calculations and criteria weighted against more innovative and potentially more environmentally friendly projects.

The coalition is calling on Government to revisit the short-listing process to ensure a fair assessment of those innovative projects, which could give better value for the taxpayer.

Ministers used a consultant’s report to inform the creation of a draft shortlist in January. 

The Atkins review found that report: 

  • Contained no new power calculations for the different schemes. Instead, the sums were based on a 30-year-old study
  • Seriously underestimated the amount of electricity that could be produced by more innovative and potentially less environmentally harmful projects
  • May have seriously underestimated the cost of large and environmentally destructive schemes like the Cardiff-Weston barrage
  • Failed to establish a fair basis for comparing the proposed schemes
  • Gave too little weight to environmental impacts when considering the options.

As a result, the alliance is concerned comparisons made between the different schemes were biased against those involving innovative technology, which could actually be less harmful to the estuary’s special wildlife, ecology and landscape. 

'it could mean unnecessary damage to the environment, an oversized bill for the taxpayer and all for less electricity than is possible'

Such schemes failed to make the shortlist and were instead left to compete for a small pot of £500,000 development funding.

The Atkins review also concludes the shortlist was drawn up too soon.

It recommends proper development funding be given to potentially less environmentally damaging schemes, which should be reconsidered against the other projects once more up-to-date and balanced calculations of power, cost and environmental impacts have been made. 

Martin Harper, Head of Sustainable Development at the RSPB, said: 'The Government doesn’t need to rush to judgement on this. If they do, there is a serious risk they will pick the wrong project.

'As this review shows, that could mean unnecessary damage to the environment, an oversized bill for the taxpayer and all for less electricity than is possible.

'We have a real opportunity to build something on the Severn which becomes the gold standard for environmentally friendly tidal power and a template for other schemes around the world.'

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In more depth

  • Severn Barrage

Downloads

Atkins review (706Kb)
A review commission by an alliance of environmental organisations.
Annex to the review: technical note (343Kb)