Development of a tidal energy project on the west coast of England is moving forward following an agreement between developer Natural Energy Wyre (NEW) and marine energy firm Atlantis Resources.
NEW is proposing the construction of a tidal barrier project with a capacity of approximately 90 MW across the River Wyre in Lancashire. It has announced an agreement to partner with Atlantis, which recently revealed an intention to diversify its renewable energy business.
The agreement follows a recent review into tidal lagoon technologies by Charles Hendry, former Energy Minister, which concluded that the UK’s tidal resources are a potentially reliable and affordable source of energy.
“This project is absolutely in line with Charles Hendry’s recommendations to build momentum in this new industry and with the Secretary of State’s ambition for affordable, reliable energy supply with a strong domestic supply chain focus,” said Tim Cornelius, CEO of Atlantis. “The Wyre project is an opportunity to develop an extremely cost effective tidal range project … we can bring this project to reality very quickly.”
The Wyre project would involve construction of a 600 m-long barrage across the Wyre between the industrial town of Fleetwood and the village of Knott End. Benefits of the project include flood protection and economic regeneration, NEW says.
Atlantis said in January that it would diversify its business into other tidal and marine energies, using its skills to help other developers bring projects to fruition.
It recently signed an agreement with Ideol, a developer of floating wind energy foundations, to drive the development of offshore wind projects.
