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Swansea lagoon must do better

4C Offshore | Lewis Holdsworth
By: Lewis Holdsworth 29/04/2015 4C Offshore
Today the Planning Inspectorate released comments made by local organisations affected by the Swansea Tidal Lagoon, organisations such as Fish Legal, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Natural Resource Wales all had concerns  towards the construction of the lagoon. Severn River Trust raised its issues over the tidal lagoon saying that the construction of not just only the Swansea Lagoon but the Cardiff Lagoon and Western Somerset Lagoon would disturb the migration of certain fish.

Fish Legal is a membership organisation that uses the law to protect its members’ fishery interests. In England, we act for the Angling Trust; as well as other members; in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, we take action for anglers of all disciplines.

Fish Legal's consultation stated: "We believe that more contentious issues, such as impact ‘trigger levels’ requiring mitigation/compensation, need to be agreed and secured in advance, to prevent difficult arguments later on, which it seems draft Requirement 40 would achieve"

Fish legal are worried that fish such as Salmon, Sea trout and eels are at risk of being affected by the construction of the lagoon, stating that there is "no adequate explanation"  for the migration of these fishes through the bay.

WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (formerly WDCS) is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. WDC also deal with Porpoises, Porpoises are often found in the lagoons location.

Along side this, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) said: "In our original submission WDC expressed concern at the level of surveys for porpoise carried out and at the lack of specific mitigation measures proposed. We note that these concerns were echoed by NRW in their evidence at the issue specific hearings on the 21st and 22nd October. WDC has not seen any evidence that these issues have been resolved and consider that a European Protected Species licence cannot be issued in respect of harbour porpoise until they are."

WDC are concerned that the noise from the installation will disrupt or even kill the porpoises due to operational noise, WDC have proposed protective screens to prevent this from happening. Bubble curtains can also be used to protect whales and porpoises from noise pollution.  

Natural Rescources Wales ensure that the environment and natural resources of Wales are sustainably maintained, sustainably enhanced and sustainably used, now and in the future.

Natural resources have quoted: "NRW has given no specific consent to the exclusion of any permit requirement of the EPR (2010). Consideration was given as to whether the project would require a permit (or exclusion thereof) for the impoundment of water. After due consideration NRW confirmed that it did not consider such a permit was required and as such no consent for exclusion was deemed"

The Severn Rivers Trust is an independent environmental charity established to secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of the rivers, streams, watercourses and water bodies in the Severn catchment, and to advance the education of the public in the management of water and the wider environment.

Finally, Severn Rivers trust have boldly stated: "Given the uncertainties about tidal lagoons, including associated risk of severe environmental damage, they should not be constructed in the Severn Estuary until there is practical experience of building and operating a scheme in a less sensitive area not adjacent to rivers with migratory fish."

"they should not be constructed in the Severn Estuary"

This quote taken from the Severn Rivers consultation concerns the other two lagoons which have been proposed for the area. Due to migrant fish within the area, they are against the construction of Cardiff Bay Tidal Lagoon, Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and The Western Somerset Lagoon, this amounts to a total of 4920MW.

In a drastic case in which these terms are more serious the project could be put on hold and maybe even stopped.

The Swansea tidal lagoon hydropower plant will be located in the Severn Estuary and will have an installed capacity of 16 units with over 20 megawatts each. The Severn Estuary has the second highest tidal range in the world, and in this estuary, Swansea Bay benefits from an average tidal range of 8.5 meters during spring tides. The plant will supply clean, renewable, and predictable power for over 155,000 homes and contribute significantly towards national carbon emission reduction targets with over 236,000 tons of CO2 saved each year.

You can visit the Swansea Tidal Lagoon on our tidal page HERE.

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