12 June 2008
A fresh report has claimed that there may be more viable alternatives to the planned Severn Barrage that will stretch from Cardiff to Weston-Super-Mare.
Frontier Economics stated that other proposals may not cost as much and would better utilise taxpayers' money, reports the BBC.
More evidence is required, it suggested, to ensure that this is an "attractive" method by which to create renewable energy.
Author of the publication Matthew Bell asserted that it is likely that this option will be one of the more extensive in terms of fees.
"Not only is the private sector more than able to finance a scheme of this scale but, even using the most conservative estimates of costs, the barrage is one of the most expensive options for clean energy there is," he commented.
In January, Business Secretary John Hutton said that the project is a "breathtaking" one and that renewable supplies of energy could be doubled using it.