House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee A Severn Barrage? Second Report of Session 2013–14 Volume II Additional written evidence Ordered by the House of Commons to be published 4, 11 and 18 December 2012, 10, 16, 23 and 30 January and 26 March 2013 Published on 10 June 2013 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited The Energy and Climate Change Committee The Energy and Climate Change Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department of Energy and Climate Change and associated public bodies. Current membership Mr Tim Yeo MP (Conservative, South Suffolk) (Chair) Dan Byles MP (Conservative, North Warwickshire) Barry Gardiner MP (Labour, Brent North) Ian Lavery MP (Labour, Wansbeck) Dr Phillip Lee MP (Conservative, Bracknell) Rt Hon Peter Lilley MP (Conservative, Hitchin & Harpenden) Albert Owen MP (Labour, Ynys Môn) Christopher Pincher MP (Conservative, Tamworth) John Robertson MP (Labour, Glasgow North West) Sir Robert Smith MP (Liberal Democrat, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) Dr Alan Whitehead MP (Labour, Southampton Test) The following members were also members of the committee during the parliament: Gemma Doyle MP (Labour/Co-operative, West Dunbartonshire) Tom Greatrex MP (Labour, Rutherglen and Hamilton West) Laura Sandys MP (Conservative, South Thanet) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/ecc. The Reports of the Committee, the formal minutes relating to that report, oral evidence taken and written evidence from witnesses are available in a printed volume. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Sarah Hartwell-Naguib (Clerk), Liz Bolton (Second Clerk), Jenny Bird (Senior Committee Specialist), Tom Leveridge (Committee Specialist), Luanne Middleton (Inquiry Manager), Shane Pathmanathan (Senior Committee Assistant), Jonathan Olivier Wright (Committee Assistant), Joe Strawson (Committee Support Assistant), and Nick Davies (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Energy and Climate Change Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 2569; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] List of additional written evidence 1 Richard Phillips Ev w1 2 Stroud Green Party Ev w1 3 Brian Webber Ev w2 4 Derek G Birkett Ev w2 5 Rail Freight Group Ev w4 6 Parsons Brinckerhoff Ev w5 7 Freight on Rail Ev w12 8 Archie D. Speirs Ev w13 9 VerdErg Renewable Energy Ltd Ev w14 10 British Marine Aggregate Producers Association Ev w17 11 The TaxPayers’ Alliance Ev w20 12 Unite the Union SW/8071 BRANCH Ev w21 13 Gloucestershire County Council Ev w22 14 North Somerset Flood Risk Action Group Ev w24 15 Kingston Seymour Parish Council Ev w25 16 Andrew Short Ev w26 17 Gloucestershire NFU Severn Estuary Stakeholders Ev w26 18 Vale of Glamorgan Council Ev w27 19 HR Wallingford Ev w32 20 Tata Steel Ev w35 21 Prys Davies, Welsh Government Ev w36 22 WWF Ev w37 23 Friends of the Earth Ev w41 24 Severn Voice Severn Estuary Flood Risk Management Strategy Task Group Ev w42 25 Rose Hewlett Ev w42 26 PRH Clifford Ev w43 27 National Farmers’ Union Ev w43 28 Mary Page Ev w45 29 Paul Crossley Ev w47 30 The Wildlife Trusts Ev w48 31 University of Bath Ev w50 32 CH2M HILL Ev w61 33 Natural England Ev w64 34 RWE Npower Renewables Ltd Ev w66 35 The Crown Estate Ev w68 36 Countryside Council for Wales Ev w70 37 Devon and Severn Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority Ev w74 38 South West TUC Ev w75 39 Black and Veatch Ltd Ev w78 40 Gloucester Harbour Trustees Ev w78 41 Owain Jones Ev w80 42 Canal & River Trust Ev w84 43 Energy Technologies Institute Ev w85 44 Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP Ev w87 45 Salmon & Trout Association Ev w87 46 Wales Green Party Ev w89 47 Children’s Scrapstore Ev w92 48 Jonathan White Ev w92 49 Don Metcalfe, Bristol Channel Federation of Sea Anglers Ev w99 50 Avonmouth Community Centre Association Ev w100 51 Severn Rivers Trust Ev w100 52 Dr Richard Brunning, Severn Estuary Levels Research Committee Ev w103 53 Natural Environment Research Council Ev w103 54 Severn Tidal Power Group Ev w109 55 Mark Barry Ev w110 56 Renewable Energy Association, Ocean Energy Group Ev w111 57 Natasha Barker Bradshaw and Professor Graham Daborn Ev w114 58 South and West Transport Action Group Ev w124 59 North Somerset Council Ev w131 60 Sedgemoor District Council Ev w132 61 Robbee Smole Ev w133 62 Bristol Council and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Ev w134 63 Wye and Usk Foundation & River Wye Preservation Trust Ev w139 64 E.ON Ev w140 65 British Association for Shooting and Conservation Ev w141 66 Ravensrodd Consultants Ltd Ev w143 67 The Severn Lake Co Ev w145 68 Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay Ev w147 69 Brian Catt Ev w149 70 Coalition of NGOs Ev w151 71 Marine Conservation Society Ev w153 72 Supervawt Ltd Ev w156 73 Cardiff Council Ev w156 74 Blue Marble Sustainable Solutions Ltd Ev w158 75 Karsten Evans Ev w172 76 Dr Edward Grist Ev w173 cobber Pack: U PL: CWE1 [SO] Processed: [10-06-2013 13:46] Job: 025815 Unit: PG01 Energy and Climate Change Committee: Evidence Ev w1 Written evidence Written evidence submitted by Richard Phillips (SEV02) The concept of a tidal barrage running across the Severn Estuary from Cardiff-to Weston has a long history. The last proposition was put forward in the first decade of the 21st century, but was put to one side. At that time a 70 page document was produced, purporting to examine all aspects of the project. I searched the whole of this work, seeking the results of any technical assessment of the impact of sedimentation, induced by flow restrictions, inevitable in such an undertaking. I found none. As a scientist, this aspect of the physics of the undertaking was of primary importance, since silting, on the scale which I would consider inevitable would rapidly take place. A reference on the Web states that “However, the barrage has caused progressive silting of the Rance ecosystem”. Though operating under a different regime, the Aswan Dam suffers immense silting problems, both in loading the dam itself to the point where flow into the turbines is in danger of being affected, and of denying the rich silt to Egyptian agriculture. The physics of sedimentation is well known. Whenever a solids laden fluid stream with a stable suspended burden of solids suffers a reduction in its velocity, the solid particles fall under gravity. This is absolutely inevitable. Inhibition of the flow of the Severn Estuary will inevitably take place, in total disregard of the manner in which the generation pattern is operated. The experience of the construction of a “causeway”, essentially a dam-like structure, on the Petitcodiac River in Canada, illustrates the havoc that the impedance of a muddy river create. Another matter to be addressed is the pattern of generation. Tidal cycles are completed in approximately one terrestrial day; but not quite. The cycle is in time with the lunar day, and thus tidal movements occur at different times every day, at precisely known times. Generation is in time with this shifting pattern. The average output from the turbine installation is not the headline turbine output, but approximately 50% of this value. This is due to the ever-changing driving force on the turbine, a reflection of ever-changing water level differences. I am a retired research scientist, having spent the last 35 years of my professional career at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell in Oxfordshire. Since retirement I have continued to take a keen interest in all energy matters, and have a wide circle of very experienced contacts in all aspects of the industry. I have thus acquired a wide knowledge of the spectrum of energy matters from nuclear generation to renewables. I became, by examination, an Associate of the Royal Institute of Chemistry in 1954, and was elected a Fellow in 1971. October 2012 Written evidence submitted by the Stroud Green Party (SEV 03) The issue of obtaining renewable energy from the tide in the Severn has been discussed at various levels in the Green Party, including Stroud, the South West, Wales and at the National policy making conference. This has resulted in the following adopted policy: “The Green Party believe it is appropriate to use the tidal energy potential from estuaries such as the Severn estuary, subject to satisfactory sustainability and environmental impact assessments. In particular we support the development of tidal lagoons and tidal stream turbines as a means of generating clean renewable energy, but reject any proposal for a single continuous barrage across the Severn estuary.” With the recent renewed proposals for a Severn Barrage this was discussed again by the Green Party in Stroud in November 2012. It was agreed again that the Severn is a unique and important ecosystem with significant biodiversity value. A barrage would have significant adverse impacts and is not supported. However other less damaging and newer technologies should be investigated to make use of the renewable energy potential of the Severn tides such as lagoons and tidal stream turbines. Furthermore we would like complain that the time given for this consultation is insufficient and means many groups have been unable to respond.