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I read in the papers about the Severn Barrage today.

Surely this must be excellent? - 5% of our electrcity etc, no flood risk for Gloucester, etc. :)

New bridge for high speed rail - surely excellent. :D

Not when I saw the proposed position: between the South of Weston and South of Cardiff! :o

What type of rail service would utlise that? I suppose Lonodon, Bristol, Cardiff. But that means:

*services to Newport and Bristol Parkway (and maybe Swindon) would be cut due to the new route; >:(

*service to Swansea only possible with a turnaround ::)

*very long way round, meaning that journey time too long. :(

*congestion at Bristol Temple Meads? ???

Remember, it is not just about a High Speed Link, the barrier would provide an opportunity to electrify the line to South Wales (thereby making full GWMLs electrification worth while).

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Oh, and the alternative to the rail link is a "4 lane dual carriageway."

I still think that the M4 Toll will get preference!

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So what do others think of the plans?

Exactly, services at:

I suppose an hourly service to Cheltenham from London will reduce this cut to 1 tph less at Swindon and East of Swindon.

I am surprised that the Welsh Assembly has done nothing to resolve the congestion problems with the Severn tunnel. The tunnel limits the number of trains to from Wales, and in many ways affects the economic development of South Wales.

Whilst they may be happy for a new rail system linking Bristol to Cardiff, I am not sure what effecting this would have on travel times between Cardiff to London. The current root, missing Bath/Chippenham, is a lot quicker, and I am quite sure any changes would not affect Bristol Parkway. It would still receive 2 tph, even though at peak times it could handle 4 tph!

This kind of thinking ignors the fact that transport over any real distance ceases to become a local issue.  The most important bit of railway to Cornwall is arguably the London to Swindon track, but would it be politically acceptable for Cornwall county council (or the SW RDA) to chip in for the rebuilding of Reading station?   The cheapest way that the UK taxpayer could speed up Manchester-Paris train journeys would propably be to bung the French Government half a billion Euros to encourage them to build LGV Picardie which would knock 20 minutes off the London-Paris Eurostar timings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGV_Picardie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGV_Picardie), but would you be happy if some of the UK's limited rail buget was spend that way?

Since when has chelt actually had an hourly london service? ;) (in recent years)

"We are here to give people the facts about why the Severn Barrage is such a needed project and how it will not only provide the UK with five per cent of secure green energy - enough to supply South West England or Wales for example - but also provide other benefits such as flood protection, better road and rail links and jobs.

"It could replace two or three nuclear power stations or 18 million tonnes of coal-fired electricity generation, while actually increasing the numbers of fish and birds in the Severn Estuary; what energy project can beat that?"

A proposed shortlist of schemes to harness renewable energy from the tides of the Severn estuary has been announced by the UK Government.

Five projects have been selected from 10 examined over the last six months.

Among these is a 10-mile barrage proposal from Lavernock Point, Vale of Glamorgan, to Somerset, which has come under fire from environmental groups.

Two other barrage schemes and two lagoons, which section off the estuary but do not dam it, are also considered.

Backers of the the lagoon projects say their proposals would be less damaging to wildlife.

The shortlist, unveiled by Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband, will be put out to public consultation before a final shortlist is confirmed.

The preferred project is due to be selected in 2010. A three-month public consultation on all ten projects and the proposed shortlist begins from Monday.

Severn barrage tidal energy scheme scrapped by Huhne

Controversial ^30bn plans for a Severn estuary barrage tidal energy project have been scrapped.

Supporters had claimed the 10-mile (16km) dam stretching from Somerset to south Wales would produce up to 5% of the UK's energy.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said a study had found there was "no strategic case" for the scheme.

Mr Huhne also announced eight potential sites for building new nuclear power stations by 2025. They are at Bradwell in Essex; Hartlepool, Tees; Heysham, Lancashire; Hinkley Point, Somerset; Oldbury, Gloucestershire; Sellafield, Cumbria; Sizewell, Suffolk and Wylfa, in Anglesey.

Dungeness, in Kent, and Braystones and Kirksanton, in Cumbria, were rejected.

The Severn barrage had been intended to run from Weston-super-Mare to Cardiff.

Conservative MP for the Forest of Dean Mark Harper said the feasibility study, carried out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, showed it was right to look into the detail of the costs and benefits before proceeding. "However, it was expensive and I was not convinced it was the right way forward. Other low carbon options, like new nuclear power stations, seemed to make more sense. I am pleased that the Energy Secretary has also reached this conclusion."

A statement from Gloucester County Council said while it was disappointing that the barrage project had been axed, in the current economic climate it was "totally understandable".

But a spokesman for the RSPB, which was worried about the effect the development would have on bird habitats, said it was pleased to see the barrage proposal "die another death".

"The Severn is one of the tidal energy hotspots of the world and its future has to be one of a more sustainable technology - one that taxpayers, engineers and environmentalists can all celebrate."

The Severn estuary has the second-largest tidal range in the world with 42ft (12.8m) tides.

The feasibility report found it would be difficult to attract private investment and the project represented "high risk".

Mr Huhne did not rule out the possibility of the barrage as a longer term option in the future, if market conditions improved. He said: "The study clearly shows that there is no strategic case at this time for public funding of a scheme to generate energy in the Severn estuary. Other low carbon options represent a better deal for taxpayers and consumers. However, with a rich natural marine energy resource, world leading tidal energy companies and universities, and the creation of the innovative Wave Hub facility, the area can play a key role in supporting the UK's renewable energy future."

Gary Smith, from the GMB union, which represents many power station workers, welcomed news of investment in the nuclear industry. He said: "These are very big investments and the financing has to be properly under-pinned. Carbon capture and storage and nuclear are the only real shows in town in terms of supplying the base load for electricity in a carbon-free way. Other sources have a role but they cannot supply the base load of electricity the UK needs," he added.

From the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-11564284):

However I doubt the Barrage will ever happen in any form. IMO, the reason it's being discussed at all is so that when the government decides against it, it can form part of the case for the massive expansion of nuclear power.

Actually, I share your puzzlement, Paul - but I merely quoted what the BBC journalist wrote!  ;D

However I doubt the Barrage will ever happen in any form. IMO, the reason it's being discussed at all is so that when the government decides against it, it can form part of the case for the massive expansion of nuclear power.

Firm says Severn barrage plan could be resurrected

A private company has said it could resurrect the abandoned Severn barrage plan.

The government pulled out of the ^30bn Severn estuary barrage tidal energy project on Monday, saying it was not economically viable.

Now Corlan Hafren Ltd has expresssed interest in taking over the scheme to harness tidal power.

The company said it believed it could build the barrage from Somerset to south Wales and make money.

Ben Hamer, director of Halcrow Group Ltd, a partner in the project, said: "The public sector hasn't the money.

"We've been talking with potential investors to identify their appetite. We believe the finance will come."

Supporters had claimed the 10-mile (16km) dam would produce up to 5% of the UK's energy.

But Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said a study had found there was "no strategic case" for the scheme.

Mr Hamer said he welcomed the government's announcement not to proceed with the project using public money.

"We don't see that as a barrier to progressing as long as we are getting the right messages coming out of government to support us," he said.

Severn Barrage: Chief quits to set up rival firm

(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/73809000/jpg/_73809813_severnbarrageartist'simpression.jpg)
A tidal barrage in the Severn could meet 5% of the UK's electricity needs, supporters say

The chief executive of a firm wanting a ^25bn barrage in the Severn Estuary has quit to set up a rival company looking to take the project forward.

Mike Davies was appointed by Hafren Power in November but has quit, citing problems with the company. He is now setting up Severn Tidal Energy to pursue the barrage plans.

The aim is to build an 11-mile barrage between Lavernock Point near Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, and Brean near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

But last year MPs said it would not be good for the economy or environment. In a report, the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee criticised a "lack of information and a perceived lack of transparency" about the proposal by Hafren.

The case for the barrage is "unproven" and Hafren Power "has yet to provide robust and independently verified evidence of the economic, environmental and technological viability of the project", the report said.

But supporters of the scheme argue the tidal barrage could generate 5% of the UK's electricity.

Earlier last year, former Welsh Secretary Mr Hain said the time had come to press ahead and build the Severn Barrage as the proposal has been "studied to death".

Following the committee's report last June, Labour MP Mr Hain said the plans were "dead in the water" in the current Parliament as the UK government was guilty of "stubborn refusal" to engage.

When the scheme was launched, he said the barrage would bring "considerable benefits" to the UK - creating about 20,000 jobs and generating 30,000 more in the supply chain and other parts of industry, giving an economic boost to south Wales and south-west England. The electricity generated would be equivalent to three or four nuclear power stations and thousands of wind turbines, he said.

Hafren Power's main shareholder Richard Bazley resigned from the board last year after BBC Wales revealed he had been made bankrupt three times. Then four senior figures stood down at the end of last year including the chairman and chief executive.

Mr Davies was brought in as the acting chief executive but has since resigned. He believes the proposals are technically, environmentally and economically achievable but plans to take it forward with his new company.

A letter from the parent company of Hafren Power has been sent to shareholders saying that Mr Davies' resignation was orchestrated. It says that the company will receive shares in Severn Tidal Energy. However Severn Tidal Energy denies the owners and management of Hafren Power have any links with the new business.

Roger Falconer, a professor of water engineering at Cardiff University, is a former advisor to Hafren Power but remains a staunch supporter of the barrage project, and says it was "was never dead in the water".

"I've been happy to work with anyone who I believe can get this project delivered because I believe with the Severn Barrage, and with closely attached lagoons off the north Wales coast, we will be able to produce base power 24 hours a day," Prof Falconer told BBC Radio Wales. "I believe this project will have enormous benefits for the people of Wales, particularly in north Wales as well when you link it in with other projects which also offer massive flood defence opportunities."

Roger Falconer, a professor of water engineering at Cardiff University, is a former advisor to Hafren Power but remains a staunch supporter of the barrage project, and says it was "was never dead in the water".