A barrage connecting Liverpool and Wirral could be built in a multibillion-pound tidal scheme. This is aiming to create renewable energy from the River Mersey.
The barrage, which would involve cycling and pedestrian routes, was announced on 7 March as the preferred option for the Mersey Tidal Power project.
The development would become the world’s largest tidal scheme. However, it must be approved by Members of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority on 15 March.
The authority says the initiative could be up and running within a decade. However, the Government would need to support the project to proceed.
The barrage would involve cycling and pedestrian routes.
The mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotheram, believes the project will create thousands of green jobs. Also, apprenticeships and seal the area’s status as Britain’s renewable energy coast.
He said: “Mersey Tidal Power has the potential to generate clean, predictable energy for 120 years.
“Beyond the banks of the River Mersey, this is a national infrastructure asset. This could position the UK as a global leader in the renewables race and help to turbocharge our net zero ambitions.
“We are under no illusions – we know there are still significant technical and financial challenges to overcome. However, the plans we’ve unveiled today mark a huge step on our journey to bringing Mersey Tidal Power to life.
“Quite simply, the case for tidal has never been more clear – both for our economy and our planet.”
Plans for a barrage across the Mersey have been suggested before but have never been implemented.
The initiative could be up and running within a decade.
Feasibility studies were done in the early 1990s, and another project was abandoned in 2011.
The environmental impact of a development “has the potential to cause significant environmental damage”. It would hit the habitat of tens of thousands of feeding birds, warns Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
David Baines, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority portfolio holder for net zero and air quality. He said: “Harnessing the power of the River Mersey to generate green and predictable energy for the next 100 years and more would be an incredible addition to our clean energy mix.
“We need to ensure we are extremely aware of our sensitive local ecology, but just reaching this stage in the Mersey Tidal Power project has taken a huge amount of hard work allied with vision and would be a big step towards it becoming a reality.”
If members agree to submit a scoping request later this month, a period of engagement will be held with stakeholders regionally and nationally.
The barrage would be a cheaper alternative to a lagoon and would create other benefits. Such as the management of climate change issues, and a report to the authority details.
The scoping opinion would be the first step in assembling a Development Control Order, which is expected to take up to three years and is needed for national infrastructure developments.
