2 October 2007
The construction of a ten-mile long tidal electricity barrage across the Severn estuary is vital for the future of the nation's renewable energy efforts but may cause inevitable damage to the environment, the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) has said.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, Jonathon Porritt, Chairman of SDC and former Director of Friends of the Earth, defended the development from environmentalists' views that it will damage fragile and unique ecosystems around the estuary.
Mr Porritt also said that the scheme must be publicly led and owned in order to be financially viable to the consumer, as well as ensuring that any costs for offsetting environmental damage can be carried out in the future.
"Without [the scheme being publicly-led and owned] we will not be able to get the low cost for the electricity generated by the barrage," he said.
"If it goes into the private sector they will charge a very high discount rate and that will make the cost of the electricity too expensive which means government will have to subsidise it. So nobody wins on that score.
"The second main reason is we are going to see environmental damage through the barrage. There is no question about that. If we are going to get serious about finding the right kind of compensation then we are going to have to pay for it and the private sector, again, just won't do that.
"This is a classic case where if we want to get the benefit of this unprecedented huge electricity generating scheme…if we want to get that we have to accept there are going to be some environmental costs," he added.
It is believed the 200-turbine barrage could help to generate 5% of the UK's total energy needs through tidal power for the next 120 years.
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