Government finally listens to Severn Bore

Plans to tap the tidal power of the Severn estuary are back on the table as the government seeks secure sources of energy. An independent commission was launched yesterday to explore using the Severn estuary, which has the second largest tidal range in the world, to create energy. The Severn Bore is so powerful that surfers regularly ride its waves. Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has backed the commission, which comes 12 years after the government dashed ambitious plans for a 10-mile energy-generating barrage. The commission has been set up by the Western Gateway “powerhouse”, a coalition of politicians, business and public sector leaders and academics covering an area stretching from Swansea to Swindon and straddling the Severn, designed to rival the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine. At its inaugural conference, delegates were told a Severn estuary tidal project could provide up to 7% of the UK’s energy needs. The £25bn project was originally shelved because the government said there was no “strategic case” for the investment. The Guardian