Tidal power, an incoming energy source?
As an island nation the sea is an important part of the UK’s DNA. Our rivers and estuaries connect the health of the mainland with the coast.
As sea level rise areas inland will experience greater flood risks. Polluted rivers will overflow back onto land. This connected relationship is most felt in the cities on the UK’s West coast.
Liverpool and the town connected by the Mersy river sit risk at risk floods but these risks can be mitigated and the river turned into a source of energy by building a tidal barrage system across narrow points of the estuary.
A tidal barrage system operates similarly to a hydroelectric power plant. The natural flow of the water is channelled through a turbine tunnel and used to power generators. Turbines can generate power from the water level differential at both high and low tide rather than the single downward flow of hydroelectric power plants. This way they do not disrupt rivers flows and do not withhold fresh water.
The Liverpool City Regional Combined Authorities (LCRCA) are pursuing £3bn in government funding for the proposed Mersey Tidal Power Project. The project fits into the broader Devolution Deal that would see a greater delegation of funding and planning powers transferred from Westminster to Liverpool.
With a pool of designs at hand and early collaboration with South Korea’s K-water who themselves own and operate the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station. The collaboration demonstrates shared global developments within the blue economy and an address to the risks and opportunities of increased tidal variations. The River Mersey trumps Seoul’s yellow sea harbours with a 10-metre tidal variation compared to the Sihwa Lake station’s variation high of 7.8-metres.
Continued collaboration presents an opportunity for Liverpool and Seoul to develop expertise and incorporate secondary and tertiary functions into their projects. Since construction in 2011 the Shiwa Lake Station has harboured pollution within its estuary. A project that readily addresses this can incorporate conveyor systems to clear surface debris from the river, stopping pollution from flowing out to sea.
A cross-river construction can also act as a sea wall but sealing the turbine tunnels during raised tides and during storms.
“The City Region is developing what would be the UK’s first tidal range energy project. A range of schemes are being considered with the largest able to power up to a million homes for over 120 years. Mersey Tidal Power is a potential mega-project, using the energy from the tides in Liverpool Bay and Mersey Estuary to generate plentiful clean, reliable, and predictable energy.” -LCRCA, Mersey Tidal Power Phase 1 Community Consultation Report, March 2025
Tidal power provides green energy that avoids the vulnerabilities of other “intermittent” green energy sources. The tide is as sure a thing as the sun and the moon. The UK government have encouraged councils to give “significant weight” to renewable energy proposals when granting planning permission in a bit boost renewable energy development. Following its own words, the government should continue to give the Mersey Tidal Power Project its due consideration.
“The government recognises that the River Mersey and Liverpool Bay area is a key asset that has the potential to drive growth within the Northern Powerhouse and the government commits to supporting Liverpool City Region by providing guidance to support Liverpool City Region’s development of a cost-effective tidal power scheme…” -Statement in the Mersey Tidal Power Phase 1 Community Consultation Report, March 2025
Still, the economic returns are emphasised as a key factor to assess:
"We are open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the power of our bays, estuaries and coastlines, which demonstrate value for money Spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, June 2025
As sea level rise areas inland will experience greater flood risks. Polluted rivers will overflow back onto land. This connected relationship is most felt in the cities on the UK’s West coast.
Liverpool and the town connected by the Mersy river sit risk at risk floods but these risks can be mitigated and the river turned into a source of energy by building a tidal barrage system across narrow points of the estuary.
A tidal barrage system operates similarly to a hydroelectric power plant. The natural flow of the water is channelled through a turbine tunnel and used to power generators. Turbines can generate power from the water level differential at both high and low tide rather than the single downward flow of hydroelectric power plants. This way they do not disrupt rivers flows and do not withhold fresh water.
The Liverpool City Regional Combined Authorities (LCRCA) are pursuing £3bn in government funding for the proposed Mersey Tidal Power Project. The project fits into the broader Devolution Deal that would see a greater delegation of funding and planning powers transferred from Westminster to Liverpool.
With a pool of designs at hand and early collaboration with South Korea’s K-water who themselves own and operate the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station. The collaboration demonstrates shared global developments within the blue economy and an address to the risks and opportunities of increased tidal variations. The River Mersey trumps Seoul’s yellow sea harbours with a 10-metre tidal variation compared to the Sihwa Lake station’s variation high of 7.8-metres.
Continued collaboration presents an opportunity for Liverpool and Seoul to develop expertise and incorporate secondary and tertiary functions into their projects. Since construction in 2011 the Shiwa Lake Station has harboured pollution within its estuary. A project that readily addresses this can incorporate conveyor systems to clear surface debris from the river, stopping pollution from flowing out to sea.
A cross-river construction can also act as a sea wall but sealing the turbine tunnels during raised tides and during storms.
“The City Region is developing what would be the UK’s first tidal range energy project. A range of schemes are being considered with the largest able to power up to a million homes for over 120 years. Mersey Tidal Power is a potential mega-project, using the energy from the tides in Liverpool Bay and Mersey Estuary to generate plentiful clean, reliable, and predictable energy.” -LCRCA, Mersey Tidal Power Phase 1 Community Consultation Report, March 2025
Tidal power provides green energy that avoids the vulnerabilities of other “intermittent” green energy sources. The tide is as sure a thing as the sun and the moon. The UK government have encouraged councils to give “significant weight” to renewable energy proposals when granting planning permission in a bit boost renewable energy development. Following its own words, the government should continue to give the Mersey Tidal Power Project its due consideration.
“The government recognises that the River Mersey and Liverpool Bay area is a key asset that has the potential to drive growth within the Northern Powerhouse and the government commits to supporting Liverpool City Region by providing guidance to support Liverpool City Region’s development of a cost-effective tidal power scheme…” -Statement in the Mersey Tidal Power Phase 1 Community Consultation Report, March 2025
Still, the economic returns are emphasised as a key factor to assess:
"We are open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the power of our bays, estuaries and coastlines, which demonstrate value for money Spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, June 2025
