Severn Barrage Vote

Good Evening MOOCers!

Our most popular discussion this week has focussed on the proposed tidal barrage for the River Severn. Topical and controversial, this plan has been debated for over 30 years, though its first proposal was in 1849, and at the moment, has stalled. The most recent plan was that proposed by Halfren in 2013, an improved version of their 2010 plans, however the project has never been given the green light, largely due to the environmental impact.

A number of alternatives have been proposed, the wikipedia page is particularly good for an overview. Undoubtedly, this country needs renewable power, through climate change and rising fossil fuel prices, we need to adjust how we generate our energy, and ensure a sustainable supply for the next 50-100 years. However, the wetlands in the Severn Estuary are valuable, and rare in this country, should we sacrifice these for the sake of “clean” energy?

In order to gauge the general MOOC opinion on this topic, we invite you to: “This house believes the Severn Barrage should be built”. The article linked in the MOOC can be found here, and contains the most up to date plans. The vote based on the cross-Severn plans proposed, that would generate 20000 jobs and 5% of the UK energy needs at the expense of the wetland habitats which would be significantly altered.

You should be able to select one of the options below from most internet enabled devices, the vote closes next friday, the 21st february.

Millie

@GeoMillie

13 Responses to "Severn Barrage Vote"

John Holland says:

September 6, 2015 at 2:28 pm

Harnessing energy from the movement of the sea is a clear priority over using carbon-based technologies. However all of the environmental concerns need to be addressed and indeed these should take precedence over any human issues. I’m not saying that human concerns or benefits should not be addressed rather that for once non-human factors should take precedence. This may really drive our fantasticly creative engineers to innovate new technologies.

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Richard says:

November 6, 2014 at 6:02 pm

Electrical generation needs some base load capacity. Currently in the UK this is provided by a mix of nuclear and coal, with gas providing capacity to meet swings in demand (eg afternoon weekday peaks) and also to meet swings in supply from wind and solar. Tidal power could provide base load supply and the Severn undoubtably is a good location to consider due to the large tidal range. It may be that some environmental compromise needs to be made here. I think that tidal is much more preferable to coal

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Stephen Savage says:

November 6, 2014 at 11:36 am

The seven estuary is such a vast area that it may be possible to weigh up all the issues based on the information in the articles. The La Rance Tidal Power Plant suggests it could be possible and while we might temporarily upset the environment it will find its own natural balance and provide a thriving habitat.

I guess a main questions is, while the environment found its own balance this was not the same as what was there before so would the changes that would occur in the seven estuary impact greatly on the existing scientific/conservation benefits of the area. I would guess wading birds (including winter migrants) and the value as a nursery ground for fish and other organisms.

Would this also impact on the human use/activities that take place in the area which probably have a great revenue importance.

I am on the management group of a small nature reserve in Sussex, a shingle spit and a site of rare vegetated shingle habitat. The role is to enhance and restore the habitat while at the same time balance this with public use (it is a public access site) which ranges from sunbathing and swimming to kite surfing and paddle boards. We are usually able to come to agree a situation where we can mange both – but sometimes human activities are too damaging (such as activities that over enrich the shingle) and in these cases we have to prevent certain activities – as this will cause a lasting damage to the habitat.

I guess a similar model applies to estuaries just on a wider scale.

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Chris west says:

February 16, 2014 at 9:41 pm

We need all and every approach to decarbonisation – from rooftop pv to large barrages. I can’t see even a full Severn barrage doing as much harm to ecosystem diversity as rapid climate weirding.
Many possibilities of extra features with a full barrage- road&rail bridge, wind turbine base, flood defense, for the estuary and its wildlife as well as the ports and city.
Sorry surfers about the Severn bore, but really, AGW really more important :/

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1. Millie says:
  
  February 17, 2014 at 6:47 pm
  
  Hi Chris, I like the phrase “Rapid Climate Weirding”, and I think that following this winters catastrophic flooding, there may be a change in public opinion. I would love to see a time when all roofs were covered in PV panels, especially shopping centres and factories with such vast areas of roof space, and it should be a condition of planning permission were possible. In combination with groundwater pumps, tidal barrages and wind farms, we might go some way to averting the worst impacts of global warming, and more winters like this one.
  
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Laura says:

February 15, 2014 at 1:51 pm

I have been reading up about lagoons since it was meantioned in the discussions earlier on in the week and I can see a lot of benefits for this type of structure against a full barrage. The comment about creating a new type of environment for some of these coastal dwelling creatures is also an interesting one that would be useful to explore before taking any descisive steps.

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1. Millie says:
  
  February 15, 2014 at 2:31 pm
  
  It certainly is worthy of investigating. The lagoon option is an intriguing one, and may perhaps represent the most sustainable way forward. Possibly a lower energy output, but with less environmental damage.
  
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henry Spencer says:

February 15, 2014 at 11:19 am

What I would like to know in the light of recent events in the uk is we could no end of barriers but we do not have a reliable infrastructure to deliver this power anyway. The first gale we have and 80,000 homes can be without power. There will probably be a discussion in the future about coast farmland and houses having to be left to the sea because we cannot afford flood defences. So I think there is a wider discussion here that may not fit into this course but I think there has to be a top and tail review of production and distribution of energy.

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1. Millie says:
  
  February 15, 2014 at 2:29 pm
  
  Hi Henry
  
  That is an interesting point, and certainly one to keep track of as the UK clears up after the storms and reviews both our flood management plans and our disaster response. I for one would be in favour of seeing many more smaller power generation options, such as solar panels/small wind turbines on new properties, or even boreholes where the bedrock is suitable, but I think the obstacle to this would be funding. With regard to coast farmlands, I think there will be a new discussion about managed retreat and our options over the next 50 years as we deal with rising sea levels and more frequent storms.
  
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  1. henry Spencer says:
    
    February 16, 2014 at 8:48 am
    
    Hi Millie
    But surely the make do and mend system we have now is far more costly in the long term. I am very much in favour of people being able to produce energy even if it is only a proportion of there needs. I like the idea of heat pumps because of the simple idea of using the earths own heat that is always on tap together with other ways of producing our own energy instead of importing more which could become very political in years to come with countries that supply us. We don’t seam to have a cohesive overall policy on energy.
    
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    1. Millie says:
      
      February 16, 2014 at 5:10 pm
      
      I would agree about our energy policy, and it resonates with an article in the Guardian this morning about the future (http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/15/ed-miliband-stark-warning-climate-change), although this is more specific to our response about flooding, the “sleepwalking into disaster” quote applies to our energy policy as well. Heat pumps would be an excellent resource for areas in this country with the right geology (this wikipedia page is excellent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power_in_the_United_Kingdom), potentially providing 20% of our electricity needs. It is of course, not without side effects, but it is a valuable resource for us.
      
      There is of course, the more exotic plan from Iceland: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/27/iceland-seeks-uk-funding-cable-project
      
      Reply
      1. Sharon Gill says:
        
        February 22, 2014 at 11:30 pm
        
        I was very interested in your links to geothermal power. The way forward I think. Preferable to fracking which scares me! Too much unknown yet , but Geo thermal seems a good alternative. I have passed the articles on to my son who is starting environmental earth science at ST Andrews or Aberdeen University in September depending on results.
Malcolm Fowles says:

February 14, 2014 at 8:56 pm

The two alternatives mentioned in the Wikipedia article need serious study, because potentially the balance of benefits to disbenefits might be better than a full barrage. That’s why I disagree with the motion.

Tidal lagoons exist elsewhere, as do barrages, so comparison need not be simply theoretical.

Similarly, the tidal fence would be a larger scale array based on the type of turbine currently operating in Strangford Lough – indeed probably a close descendant of it if IT Power are involved.

You have to be careful about discussing what habitats are destroyed without considering what might be created too. For example, a multi-cell lagoon could be deliberately designed with habitats, fish and shellfish nurseries and farms, carbon sinks, etc. Don’t forget that the Rance estuary is now a stable habitat, albeit different to what went before. How is it impoverished, and how is it richer?

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