10 April 2017, reply from BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, 1 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0ET
Our ref: TOSL2017/09794 10 April 2017
Dear Mr Richards,
Thank you for your letter of 27 March on behalf of the Steering Group of Gloucestershire Climate Action Network, addressed to Greg Clark, expressing your support for a Swansea Bay Lagoon project following the publication of the Hendry Review. The Secretary of State receives a large amount of correspondence every day and is unable to respond to each one personally. I have been asked to reply.
The Government’s energy planning is focused on ensuring secure, affordable, low-carbon energy. The issues considered by the Review are complex, as they relate to an untried technology in the marine environment. As the Review notes, tidal lagoons face considerable challenges in relation to their role in the UK’s energy mix and their potential environmental impact. While Swansea Bay is mentioned in the manifesto, this was as an illustrative, future source of energy.
The Government will now require a period of time to assess the recommendations set out in the Review. It is this Government’s job to consider both the advantages and the disadvantages of tidal lagoons, to scrutinise the evidence carefully, to take measured decisions where there are a wide range of issues to consider and significant uncertainties over what is, in the case of this technology, a long period of time, and determine what decision is in the best interests of the UK energy consumer and taxpayer in the long term.
Thank you for your letter on this matter, a Government response will be published in due course.
Yours sincerely
Craig Brown
BEIS MINISTERIAL CORRESPONDENCE UNIT
27 March 2017, letter from GlosCAN to BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
24 Jan 2017, e-mail from Richard Graham MP for Gloucester
RE: GlosCAN interest in tidal lagoon power
richard.graham.mp@parliament.uk
Dear Hugh,
Thank you for your letter on behalf of GlosCAN.
I’m glad that you agree that tidal lagoons are an excellent opportunity for green energy in the UK.
In terms of where we go from here, I’m working through the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Marine Energy and Tidal Lagoons that I set up in July to support the development of both.
Can I suggest that Glos CAN write to Secretary of State Greg Clark, copy me, with your support for a swift and positive response to the Hendry Review?
You can email him directly via mpst.clark@bis.gsi.gov.uk
I will probably also be writing to the Secretary of State soon with the support of MPs: before the Autumn Statement 111 colleagues signed a letter of mine in support of tidal lagoons. I hope for similar numbers on this letter.
I attach a link to a copy of the Hendry Review [… ] https://hendryreview.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/hendry-review-final-report-english-version.pdf
I hope this is helpful.
Best regards
Richard