I note there has been recent debate on the Severn Barrage. I am seeking your support for my project to 'green' Ilfracombe by having 500MW of tidal current turbines installed in the Bristol Channel off Ilfracombe. These will use the same tidal resource as the barrage without the adverse environmental impacts at less cost, and with far quicker realisation. 

 Action on Climate Change is needed NOW.

As I am sure you know the Bristol Channel has one of the greatest tidal range in the world, 10m at springs, and the shape of the channel directs the fastest tidal current close inshore to the North Devon coast off Ilfracombe. From Bull Point to Foreland Point there is rock bottom in suitable depth, the Devon Wildlife Trust voluntary marine conservation area are keen to see sea-floor turbines installed to develop habitat, Ilfracombe has a significant local electricity load and grid connections, unlike Lynmouth further up the coast.

Marine Current Turbines Ltd have been successfully testing their first 300kW prototype monopile single rotor turbine off Lynmouth, not grid connected,  for 2 years and may install a small array of twin rotor Seagen turbines in the same area once testing is completed at Strangford loch.

Seabed designs are preferred for off Ilfracombe, less impact on shipping, and for some time I have been in contact with Simon Meade of Lunar Energy Ltd (backed by Bosch Group) to install an array of up to 500MW of Rotech Tidal Turbines, see www.lunarenergy.co.uk .The marine cable to come ashore at Larkstone Cove, support services based in Ilfracombe harbour.

A seafloor tidal turbine system has the support of all, will not suffer the objections that onshore large wind turbines do and has positive environmental and shipping impacts compared to barrages.

Installation and support of a large number of turbines off Ilfracombe will create jobs in Ilfracombe and could use marine fabrication contracts at DMSL Appledore, more for Rotech than for Open-centre.

Ilfracombe has the only safe harbour on the North Devon and N Cornwall coast, the only landfall in ND that isn't AONB, National Trust or Exmoor National Park, which is causing problems shore-side for MCT at Lynmouth. Harbour Master and harbour association happy with marine cable to come ashore at Larkstone, delighted at prospect of survey/support ships being based here, switch gear/control room located at rear of SWW foul water treatment plant above Larkstone cove and using their 11kv connection to local sub station, this local grid will need up rating if/when the full array of 500MW is installed.

Rotech Turbines are having design/development delays and have not yet got to full scale EMEC testing, so are quite a long time before commercial deployment.

>OpenHydro Group completed the installation of the first tidal turbine at
the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney. This project was supported by
Sustainable Energy Ireland www.openhydro.com/news/140107.html

>OpenHydro Group has been selected to provide Canadian utility Nova Scotia
Power with its innovative tidal turbine technology. OpenHydro's technology
will be used to establish a tidal energy demonstration project in the Bay of
Fundy, which when completed, will be the largest in-stream tidal generating
unit integrated into an electricity grid in the world
www.openhydro.com/news/150107.html

Open-centre turbine technology is more advanced, developed in USA over last 10 years and is on test at EMEC.  OpenHydro has just done a deal with Nova Scotia Power for a demonstration array in Canada.

I appreciate that OpenHydro will be heavily committed to Bay of Fundy demonstration site but I would like to form a partnership with Ilfracombe and District Community Alliance CIC (the local regeneration organisation), SW Regional Development Agency and RegenSW, and OpenHydro to install significant numbers of open-centre turbines off Ilfracombe.

For further info see SWRDA "Seapower South West Report", this led to development of the wave hub off N Cornwall, and identified tidal currents as a major renewable electricity source, our Regional Spatial Strategy policy RE2 has offshore energy production targets of 56MW by 2010, 400MW by 2020.