Huge new £3.5bn plan to build world's largest tidal barrage to power UK city

The Mersey Tidal barrage would beryllium the world's largest (Image: Liverpool City Region Combined Authority)

There are plans to physique a immense tiday vigor strategy successful the UK that would beryllium the largest successful the world.

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority plans to physique a tidal barrage connected the River Mersey, linking Liverpool and the Wirral, to harness renewable energy, combat clime change, and stimulate the section economy.

The barrage is expected to person a 700MW capableness with 28 turbines, sluices, and marine navigation locks. It would outgo £3.5b to build.

Liverpool City Region politician Steve Rotheram said: "The effect to the archetypal signifier of the consultation has been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s wide that determination is beardown enactment for the Mersey Tidal Power task arsenic we research ways to make clean, renewable vigor for the region.

"While nary decisions person been made yet, this is an breathtaking accidental for the metropolis region, and we’re determined to guarantee that the voices of section radical are cardinal to the improvement of this world-leading project."

River Mersey (Image: Getty)

The projects aims to make thousands of jobs, amended flood protection, and present caller walking and cycling routes connecting the Wirral and Liverpool. 

The consultation signifier which ran from October 1 to November 15, 2024, received implicit 3,000 responses, with 84% supporting the improvement and 92% acknowledging the request for much renewable vigor projects successful the region.

A full of 76% expressed beardown enactment for the project, portion 8% somewhat supported it.

The consultation included 10 drop-in events attended by 1,238 radical and an online survey. 

More nationalist consultations are expected to instrumentality spot successful 2025 arsenic the improvement of the task continues. 

A statutory consultation besides aims to instrumentality spot this twelvemonth arsenic the task advances towards the improvement consent bid (DCO) exertion that it needs to determination up with the process.

Wirral (Image: Getty)

While immoderate concerns were raised astir imaginable biology impacts connected section wildlife and disruptions to adjacent communities and stream users, arsenic good arsenic questions astir backing and costs, suggestions for biology enhancements, specified arsenic situation instauration and histrion planting, were besides offered.

Councillor Anthony Burns, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority furniture subordinate for nett zero, said: "We’re assured that the Mersey Tidal Power project, which would beryllium the largest of its benignant successful the world, has a captious portion to play successful helping the modulation distant from fossil fuels to green, renewable electricity.

"But we cognize that we person to person the enactment of the nationalist to determination up with this transformational task and that’s wherefore we’re committed to speaking with and listening to section radical arsenic we proceed the project’s development."