Major contributors to the Environmental Impact Assessment for Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, we provided environmental services, hydrological and flood risk assessments, including specification and interpretation of tidal and wave modelling, to help facilitate the development of the world’s first tidal lagoon power plant.
Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon would have been an artificial lagoon, created using a ‘U’ shaped breakwater which has a bank of hydro turbines in it. The project would have harnessed the power of the tides on the West Coast of Britain, with 16 hydro turbines and a 9.5km breakwater wall. Once complete the project would have generated enough electricity for 155,000 homes for the next 120 years.
We provided a Flood Consequence Assessment (FCA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to support the delivery of this major project. The FCA examined the current and future flood risk to all areas of Swansea Bay from Mumbles in the west to Port Talbot in the east, specifically, it examined the impacts that the proposed tidal lagoon could have on coastal flooding to the Mumbles frontage.
Taking into account climate change over 120 years, we coordinated tide and wave modelling for the scheme to assess the consequences that the new lagoon bund could have on flooding from both sea levels and wave heights. The team worked closely with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the City and County of Swansea Council to help develop and inform mitigation measures for the Mumbles frontage. We also supported our client at the planning enquiry.