BRISTOL PORT WELCOMES ‘FINAL NAIL IN THE COFFIN’ OF SEVERN BARRAGE

Bristol Port has campaigned against the Cardiff-Weston barrage and raised concerns about smaller Severn Tidal Power projects as they would be unaffordable, damage the highly prized environment of the Severn and threaten thousands of port related jobs.

Simon Bird, Chief Executive of The Bristol Port Company, said: “We are pleased that the Government has decided to put the final nail in the coffin of the Severn Barrage.  The Government’s report on Severn Tidal Power makes it clear that there is no appetite in the public or private sectors for constructing a large barrage and that the environmental and economic impacts are unacceptable especially when put alongside the intermittent electricity the project would produce.

“There is no realistic prospect that this or any future Government will look at building a large barrage in the future.  This is why our investors have confidence in working with us on our new £600m Deep Sea Container Terminal.  We are getting on with the job of investing private sector money in a real, achievable project and our Site Investigation work here at Bristol Port has started and is on target.”