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Tidal Power: River Severn

Volume 503: debated on Wednesday 6 January 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with relevant authorities in The Netherlands about the construction and subsequent impacts of the storm surge barrier on the Eastern Scheldt in The Netherlands; and what steps have been taken to apply lessons learnt there to the development of tidal power proposals for the Severn Estuary. (307586)

The Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier is one of a number of analogues reviewed as part of the Hydraulics and Geomorphology assessment within the Strategic Environmental Assessment of tidal power from the Severn Estuary. In 2008, at the invitation of the Severn tidal power feasibility study team, Dutch officials gave a presentation on the construction and subsequent impacts of the storm surge barrier.

In addition representatives from Deltares (an independent research institute for water, soil and subsurface issues based in The Netherlands) have attended a number of workshops on Hydraulics and Geomorphology as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment. They presented and led discussions on the geomorphological implications arising from the construction of the storm surge barrier. This evidence feeds into the Severn Tidal Power Feasibility Study.