Planning Inspectorate accept Application for Development Consent for Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon
On 6th March 2014, the Planning Inspectorate accepted Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay plc (TLSB)'s application for development consent for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon. An application is 'accepted' if it is deemed to have reached the required standards to proceed to public examination. Following the examination stage, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change will determine the application.
The application consists of a sea wall of 9.5km constructed using core and sediment filled geotubes with rock armour bund. The sea wall will create a lagoon impounding an area of 11.5km2 At one end of the sea wall, 16 turbines and 10 sluice gates will be housed.
The tidal lagoon will generate power using the water flowing past the turbine blades in the deepest part of the wall. Electricity is generated at high and low tide by opening and closing sluice gates.
The project will cost around £850million and has been promoted by the developers as having the potential to power 120,000 homes for 120 years with a total installed generating capacity of over 100MW.
In addition to the application for development consent, a Marine Licence is also required.
The project makes a significant step towards effective use of the significant tidal range in the Severn Estuary and is considered to be an innovative form of renewable energy
Once the TLSB has published and notified people of an accepted application, the Planning Inspectorate has around three months to prepare for the examination. During this stage, individuals and organisations will be able to register to become an interested party on the application.
A decision whether to grant the application for Development Consent is expected in 2015.
At Zyda Law, we assist developers in achieving consent for innovative projects such as the tidal lagoon application. Our extensive major infrastructure projects, combined with our unique approach to project management provides a winning combination.
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