Planning consent has been granted for construction of the world's first purpose built tidal lagoon.
The UK's Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Amber Rudd granted planning permission for the 320 MW Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project, which would involve construction of a 10 km-long horseshoe-shaped sea wall around Swansea Bay in Wales.
Developer Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay said that the project would be a "game changer, a scalable blueprint" for a fleet of lagoons in the UK and abroad. "Wales led the way providing the fuel for the industrial revolution. We are now entering the era of the climate change revolution - decarbonising our world in time to avoid two degrees of global warming - Wales can now lead this next revolution," said Mark Shorrock, CEO of the firm.
He added: "With the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon becoming a reality, locking in 120 year life, zero carbon energy infrastructure, we have the potential to help transform our industrial economy and the UK's energy mix."
Tidal Lagoon is expecting to receive a marine licence from Natural Resources Wales later this year, and also needs to secure an agreement for lease from the Crown Estate.
"We now have some further permissions to secure and must successfully conclude CFD negotiations on our way to financial close, but the vision is now closer to reality than ever before and our delivery team is readying itself to start on site and start delivering for Swansea Bay next spring," said Shorrock.
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