The Planning Inspectorate has accepted the Development Consent Order application for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon for consideration - the Lagoon has been designated as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project.
As an offshore generating station in excess of 100MW installed capacity, the project qualifies as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the 2008 Act. Acceptance of the application means that it has reached the required standards to proceed to public examination before being determined by the Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change.
Alex Herbert, Head of Planning for Tidal Lagoon Power, said:
“Consulting on a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, and subsequently compiling the application documents, is an enormous task that has kept the team busy for nearly three years.We are delighted that our application met the required standards and look forward to taking it forward to examination and a decision.”
Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon will create a new waterfront for Swansea, a focus for water-based activities and a visitor destination in its own right. The masterplan and landscape design for the site, by London 2012 Olympic Park designer LDA Design, creates a ‘Maritime Park’ between Swansea Bay’s beach to the west and Crymlyn Burrows to the east.
Natural Resources Wales will consider in parallel an application for the marine licence that is required due to the project’s location in Welsh waters. The marine licence application was itself accepted for consideration on Friday 28 February.
Mark Shorrock, CEO of Tidal Lagoon Power, the company behind the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, said:
“This is a hugely important step in the process that will, hopefully, see us on site in Swansea Bay in spring 2015 with the first power being generated in 2018.
“Through an ongoing process of operational optimisation, we now expect power output for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon to hit 495 GWh per annum, enough to power 155,000 homes.”
It is now open to stakeholders to register as interested parties in the application - meaning they will be invited to take part in the examination of the application, including attending the Preliminary Meeting. Once the examination is underway interested parties will also have the opportunity to provide further written evidence on issues of concern. Interested parties can also request that an ‘open floor’ hearing is held, where they will also be able to speak.
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