Plans to develop a 320MW tidal lagoon scheme in Swansea Bay have taken a step forward with news that the Planning Inspectorate in the UK is to consider Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay's (TLSB) application for consent to build the major project.
Acceptance of the application means that it has met the required standards to proceed to public examination before being considered by the Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, said TLSB. In parallel, Natural Resources Wales will also consider an application for a marine licence, required due to the project's location in Welsh waters.
"This is a hugely important step in the process that will, hopefully, see us on site in Swansea Bay in spring 2015 with the first power being generated in 2018," said TLSB CEO Mark Shorrock. "Through an ongoing process of operational optimisation, we now expect power output for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon to hit 495 GWh per annum, enough to power 155,000 homes.
If given the go-ahead, the project would be the world's first, purpose-built, tidal energy lagoon, averaging 14 hours of generation every day.
Photo: Plan of the tidal lagoon project. Courtesy TLSB
