Plans have been unveiled for a £2 billion UK tidal energy project that could supply green energy to 600,000 homes.
Infrastructure developer Centre Port Holdings is forging ahead with the first stage of the major renewables scheme, located in the Wash, an estuary on the east coast of England.
If the project gets off the ground, it would support scores of jobs and feature the world’s first tidal powered deep-sea container terminal.
As well as supplying vast quantities of green energy to shipping operations, the 12-mile long structure would also provide landside flood defences for up to a million people.
And it could also provide a 20 minute road link for motorists, connecting Lincolnshire and Norfolk.
If built, the zero carbon deep-sea container terminal will be capable of processing between 1.5 million and 4m containers annually.
It would also handle the world’s largest container ships, feeder services and roll on roll off vessels.
Centre Port is proposing to build a hydro-electric structure within the project, which will capture the incoming and out-going tides twice a day.
In doing so, it would provide predictable, low carbon energy for the terminal, as well as up to 600,000 homes and businesses in the region.
James Sutcliffe, chief executive at Centre Port Holdings, said: “Centre Port is a multiple income generating development where decarbonising the logistics chain is a priority in today’s world.
“Centre Port provides multiple business opportunities and a lower/ zero carbon operation across the import /export chain, whilst also being 50% nearer the East and West Midlands it serves.
“It is well placed to drive new economic opportunities in Lincolnshire/ Norfolk and Cambridge, job creation and Levelling up in local communities that are otherwise reliant on the agricultural sector.
“The local environment is seriously at risk from climate change. Our Mission is to retain the Wash boundaries, its wild life and ecology and to minimise climate change impacts that could devastate these sensitive areas.”
To get the project moving Centre Port has agreed a strategic partnership with energy company Centrica, which has invested into the seed round.
The cash has allowed the company to engage environmental and technical consultancies to begin work on a feasibility study.
Centrica would also provide a guaranteed price for the renewable energy produced by the tidal turbines to underpin their construction.
Meanwhile it’s expected some of the excess renewable energy produced could be used to create green hydrogen, helping to decarbonise the farming and transport sector.
According to Centre Port, the scheme would support thousands of jobs during the construction phase, as well as 500 specialist jobs on the container terminal and more for power production.
The colossal structure will also act as a flood defence scheme against exceptional tides, protecting homes and businesses in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Cambridgeshire.
Greg McKenna, managing director of Centrica Business Solutions, said: “We’re excited to help Centre Port explore their ambitious plans for the Wash. The project represents one of the largest tidal power schemes anywhere in the world and provide a reliable source of green energy to the UK. The first step is to understand the role such a scheme would play in an area of the country particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.”
