Haven’s marine power opportunity

Last week’s announcement that the Department of the Energy and Climate Change is backing the proposed Tidal Lagoon in Swansea Bay could be momentous news for Pembrokeshire. If we play our cards right breathe new life will be breathed into Pembroke Dock which is well placed to become a hub for an entirely new industry.

Tidal Lagoon Power, the company that wants to build the £1billion lagoon off Swansea, says it will be a game changer for the renewable energy industry in Wales. If it goes ahead, and we will know for certain by the end of the year, it could be the first of six such lagoons off the Welsh coast, bringing an estimated 35,000 jobs over the next 15 years.

      

        The Swansea lagoon would produce enough renewable power for 155,000 homes for the next 120 years, supplying 90 per cent of Swansea Bay’s annual domestic energy use. It entails building a six-mile long seawall two miles out to sea from close to Swansea Docks, looping round and making landfall close to Swansea University's new Fabian Way campus to the east.

         

        The lagoon would house 16 underwater turbines generating electricity on both the rising and falling tide. And it’s the chance of assembling those turbines that provides Pembrokeshire with its opportunity. The hope is that engineering firms like Ledwood in Pembroke Dock will be well placed to help assemble the turbines whose parts are likely to be manufactured in Rugby. Ledwood took a hit from the closure of the Murco oil refinery last year. Its employees in Pembroke Dock have fallen from 1,000 at the peak to around 200. But the dawn of a new marine energy industry is offering fresh possibilities.

It’s good to learn that for once we’re ahead of the game with the creation of the Marine Energy Pembrokeshire partnership. This is bringing together technology developers, supply chain companies, the Welsh Government and others to proclaim what Pembrokeshire has to offer. Project Director David Jones says: “If you combine our natural resources with the grid connection possibilities, the transferable skills of the oil and gas industry supply chain, research links, the world class port facilities and the area’s designation as an energy Enterprise Zone, it all adds up to provide a very attractive package for developers.”

Of course, there have been false dawns promising economic revival for the Haven, not least the promise of oil discoveries in the Celtic Sea. But the potential for major marine energy developments off the western coast of Wales is much more tangible. The main hurdle is that Tidal Lagoon Power now has to negotiate with the UK government how much subsidy will be paid for the energy Swansea’s Tidal Lagoon will generate. And it is asking for a higher incentive than is presently given to wind turbines, solar power and nuclear. On the other hand the attraction for the government is the creation of a completely new industry with a massive economic impact.

In the past we missed the opportunity to develop the technology behind onshore wind and as a result the most valuable parts of onshore wind farms are imported. We must make sure that the same does not happen with marine renewables, and that Pembrokeshire takes full advantage of the opportunities that are now presenting themselves.