Engineering director leaves Tidal Lagoon Power

TLP has also parted company with the Chinese firm that wanted to build the 9.5km lagoon seawall

The director of engineering and construction at the company behind the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon has left the role.

Andrew McNaughton, who joined Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) in May 2015, will have an advisory role for the duration of the government’s independent review of the scheme which will end in the autumn. 

Mechanical engineer Mike Unsworth, who joined TLP in July as delivery director for the Swansea project, has taken over McNaughton's role which involves working on TLP's proposed six UK lagoons.

The company said: “Having joined TLP last summer, Mike Unsworth has been appointed as director of engineering and construction and will lead the delivery of the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon. He brings over 30 years of experience to the role, including the delivery of some of the UK’s largest renewable energy infrastructure projects.

“We are now discussing an ongoing advisory role with Andrew McNaughton, who has built a first-class delivery team and led the first project through its pre-construction phase.”

Meanwhile, TLP has also parted company with the Chinese firm that wanted to build the 9.5km lagoon seawall. Unsworth said the company did not feel that China Harbour Engineering Company offered the best value for money and will retender this element of the project.

TLP said: “We have now completed a review of the Advanced Works Phase (AWP) for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon. All Tier One work packages made good progress under the AWP, with Preferred Bidders working in close collaboration with the construction team. This has, in accordance with industry best practice, included a significant body of work to develop and test project design.

“We have now taken the decision to retender the Marine Works Package in line with the requirement to deliver optimal value-for-money to investors and to consumers. The Marine Works Package comprises the construction of the lagoon’s breakwaters and the temporary cofferdam in which the powerhouse structure will be built.”

The government review and other financial considerations mean the earliest work could begin on the five-year project is late 2017 or early 2018, meaning it is unlikely to be operational before 2023.