The Severn Estuary holds the second highest tidal range in the world and within this Swansea Bay benefits from spring tides of up to 12m. This tidal range offers significant potential for the extraction of renewable energy through the construction of tidal lagoons and is an exciting opportunity for Wales and the UK.

The vision is to see this sustainable and abundant tidal resource help the UK towards greater energy security. It can help the transition to a low carbon future and lower costs of electricity while providing regenerative, economic and recreational benefits to local communities.

The proposal for a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay offers:

• The world’s first, man-made, energy-generating lagoon, with 250MW of installed tidal power capacity and 16 hours of generation every day.
• Clean, renewable, reliable and predictable power for approximately 107,000 homes (equivalent to Swansea’s annual domestic electricity use) for 120 years.
• An important contribution towards national carbon emission reduction targets – over 200,000 tonnes of CO₂ saved annually.
• An opportunity to develop a tidal range industry for the UK, centred around Wales.
• Community and tourism opportunities covering education, arts, culture, recreation and sports.
• Tidal power connected to the National Grid by 2020, as other power stations are closed down.