Ecotricity has presented the UK government with two 380MW tidal lagoon proposals in the Solway Firth in England and Scotland ahead of a joint select committee review of the planned 320MW Swansea Bay project.
The Stroud developer claims the two projects, one on the English side of the border and the other on the Scottish side, would generate as much electricity as the Swansea Bay proposal at half the cost to build.
The company has partnered with Tidal Electric to develop the Solway sites and has signalled to the government that they are ready to take part in a competitive process to ensure value for public money.
The projects were unveiled ahead of Tidal Lagoon Power executives appearing before a select committee on Wednesday to scrutinise the project costs of the around £1.3bn Swansea Bay.
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “The government has done well to resist the last couple of years of intense lobbying pressure from backers of the Swansea scheme. There was never a case for paying that much or for moving too quickly to allow for proper competition.
“The projects we have unveiled today are ready to take part in a proper process and there are other companies and other projects that would take part in a proper process.”
In a related development, English Heritage will appoint 20 so-called green energy champions who will be mentored by Ecotricity to improve energy efficiency and lower energy consumption across 20 historic sites.
Image: Dale Vince (Ecotricity)
Vince plots to sink Swansea lagoon
By EBS