Tidal Lagoon project cuts jobs

Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon is delayed a year to 2017

Seventeen jobs have been lost at Tidal Lagoon Power to cut costs and refocus on completing its proposed Swansea Bay project.

The company says the cutbacks to its around 100-strong staff were necessary as it concentrates on developing the proposed 320MW Swansea Bay project, as well as full-scale projects planned for six lagoons including Cardiff, Newport, West Cumbria, Colwyn Bay and Bridgewater. 

The job cuts follow the news that that building work on the project is going to be delayed by a year to 2017. The postponement has been blamed on negotiations with the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) over the level of subsidies given to the project via the contract for difference support mechanism.

Tidal Lagoon Power told PE: “Our short-term priority is the construction of the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and the progression of plans at Cardiff and Newport to harness the country’s best tidal range resource in the Severn Estuary. Our team needs to align with these objectives and regretfully that involves some redundancies.

“Our vision is to provide 8% of the UK’s electricity from six tidal lagoons and we have grown quickly so as to take forward these plans. However, our first project is now scheduled to start on site one year later than planned and that inevitably impacts the development of the fleet.”

The delay to the project has concerned local politicians. Swansea local councillor Rob Stewart said: “I can’t stress how important this project is for the economic wellbeing of Swansea and the Swansea Bay City Region as a whole. It will generate thousands of engineering and construction jobs for local people, create a long-term, sustainable industry that would supply components for future tidal lagoons and energy projects across the world, and boost a tourism industry that’s already worth about £400 million a year to our economy by attracting many thousands more visitors.”

Geraint Davies, MP for Swansea West, said: "It is important that the government gives its full backing to the tidal lagoon, as the first step for lagoons around Britain and a major export opportunity to help play our part to deliver lower emissions.

"Having said he's for it a year ago, if the chancellor pulls the plug on it, it'll be a disgrace."