LCR pushes Mersey tidal power timeline back two years
A need for a government funding commitment has led Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to adjust its estimated planning application submission date from 2026 to 2028.
The Mersey Tidal Power project was floated by LCR Mayor Steve Rotheram in 2019. It would stretch across the river between Birkenhead and Liverpool and be capable of generating up to 1GW of energy – just under a third of what Sizewell C nuclear power station is set to create.
In addition to being a powerhouse of renewable energy generation, a tidal barrage on the River Mersey could provide flood protection and an active travel route between Liverpool and the Wirral. It would have an operational lifespan of up to 120 years, according to government data.
Ed Miliband, secretary of state for Energy Security and Net Zero, as well as other “senior figures” in government are supportive of the scheme, according to a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority report.
However, the drafting of a full business case for the project will require development funding – something the combined authority is working with various government departments to secure.
Because of that delay, the submission of a planning application is now set for 2028, with a financial investment decision for construction to come in 2030.
A lack of a funding decision has not dampened the city region’s ambition however. The project is continuing to phase four, with the combined authority being asked on Friday to approve continued procurement activity to move the scheme along.
Phase four includes sorting the social value potential of the project, crafting the full scope of project and ancillary assets, and the other consenting, engineering, project development, and commercial activity required to turn the scheme into reality.
