The world’s first tidal lagoon power plant could move forward as a result of the United Kingdom’s planned departure from the European Union, maybe in 2019. A recent official report cited “a post-Brexit world” as one justification for building a pilot tidal plant. A $1.3-billion scheme in Swansea Bay is almost shovel-ready.
“The evidence is clear that tidal lagoons can play a cost-effective role in the U.K.’s energy mix,” says former government minister Charles Hendry in his report, “The Role of Tidal Lagoons.” While lagoons can cut emissions and boost industrial growth, they face “very considerable challenges” in fitting in with the country’s energy mix and providing value for the investment, he adds.