|

WALES STANDS TO GAIN IF GOVERNMENT ACTS ON TIDAL POWER REPORT – OPIK

Commenting on today’s Sustainable Development Commission report today on tidal power, Lembit Opik, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and MP for Montgomeryshire, said:

“This report is excellent news for all supporters of tidal power. The Government must take heed of the Commission’s recommendations and provide further support for the development and deployment of the wide range of new, cutting edge tidal power technologies.

“With 22% of the English and Welsh coastline, and some of the best marine energy resources in Europe, Wales stands to benefit considerably from the emergence of the tidal technology market.

“The Welsh coastline is already favoured by several of the most promising new marine technologies like the Wave Dragon off the Pembrokeshire coast, Marine Current Turbines in the Menai Straits off Anglesey and Tidal Lagoons in Swansea Bay.

“When wind power first hit the scene, the Government was very slow to support it allowing other countries with inferior wind resources, like Germany and Denmark, to get ahead. If the Government acts now, we can be the world leaders in this vital new green technology.”

Commenting on the commission’s recommendations over the proposals for a Severn Barrage, Lembit said:

“After almost 100 years since the first proposals to generate power from the Severn Estuary, we are finally seeing both scientific and political opinion falling behind moves to develop this world class tidal energy resource.

“The real question now is not if we should harness tidal power from the Severn Estuary, but how we should do it.

“The Government must ensure that its new feasibility study provides a rigorous and thorough assessment of all the tidal technologies that could be deployed in the Severn Estuary so that we can make the best possible choice.”