Energy and Climate Change CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by The Crown Estate (SEV37)

The Cardiff-Weston Barrage could make a significance contribution to a secure low carbon energy sector here in the UK and The Crown Estate welcomes the opportunity to provide written evidence for the Energy and Climate Change Committee’s (ECCC) inquiry.

We do not intend to respond formally to the specific questions posed in your terms of reference, but feel it would assist the committee in their deliberations if we set out details of our role in the development of offshore renewable energy to date. We hope that this information will provide you with useful background on this organisation’s track record in facilitating sustainable development and seabed leasing for similar projects.

The Crown Estate is commenting from its unique position as steward of the UK marine estate which includes over half of the UK’s foreshore and the vast majority of the seabed out to the territorial 12 nautical mile limit, with vested rights for the development of renewable energy in the UK Continental Shelf.

Since 2000 The Crown Estate has undertaken and continues to undertake leasing activities for offshore wind, wave and tidal stream renewables in support of government policy to decarbonise the UK’s electricity generation, assist in meeting the UK’s binding EU 2020 targets and develop the UK low carbon industries.

Appendix 1, Table 1 and 2 sets out the current situation with leasing round for OffShore Wind, Wave and Tidal Stream energy. This has seen the UK become a world leader in the development of offshore electric energy generation with The Crown Estate acting as programme manager.

In addition, The Crown Estate has sought to de-risk and accelerate the energy programmes on our estate through a wide range of enabling actions projects such as collecting survey data to support consent applications and carrying out analysis supporting cost reduction. We are also working with developers and key stakeholders to overcome challenges in five strategic workstreams: health and safety; planning and consenting; supply chain and skills; technology and transmission; project finance and economics.

The Crown Estate has developed the award winning Marine Resource System (MaRS): MaRS is a decision support system based on GIS (Geographical Information system) technology. MaRS is one of the key tools to help plan and manage our portfolio and optimise use of the seabed. We developed MaRS to help support the sustainable management and development of the marine estate.

The Crown Estate works with a wide range of stakeholders in the Severn Estuary including the port and marine aggregate sectors. In particular it is clear that a barrage would require the ports and marine aggregate business to adjust their operational practices. The impacts on these businesses should form a key component of any further assessment and The Crown Estate can provide evidence to assist any study. Moreover, The Crown Estate also recognises the prominent role we could play in facilitating engagement with a broad range of stakeholders on any tidal range option selected for the Severn Estuary.

In terms of tidal range, we are currently aware of two potential tidal range schemes at an early stage of their development, lying in Welsh waters in the Bristol Channel. These proposals do not spatially conflict with any possible barrage route in the Severn Estuary lying as far west as a Lavernock Point—Brean Down route. In addition, historically there has been interest in a coastally attached tidal lagoon in Bridgwater Bay which is not being progressed at present and there is also an existing tidal stream interest at Lynmouth.

The combination of landlord of the UK seabed and programme manager for the UK offshore energy programmes gives The Crown Estate a unique enabling role in any tidal range project that could be brought forward. If government policy was to develop in favour of a tidal range such as the Cardiff-Weston Barrage proposal, we would be able to draw on our expertise to support government in delivering this or any other tidal range project.

The Crown Estate owns the land on either side of the estuary and the entire route involved in the proposed barrage’s construction, and consequently further work would be required to understand in full any competition/procurement compliance requirements.

We trust that you will find these comments constructive and of relevance to the inquiry to the Cardiff-Weston Barrage. We would be very willing to provide additional information on any of the points we have raised or discuss these matters with you further.

The contents of this letter may be put into the public domain and there is no part of it that should be treated as confidential.

Appendix 1

TABLE 1
OFFSHORE WIND

Round	Launched	Number of sites	Current Status
Round 1	2001	13	1 in construction (62MW) 12 operational (1112MW)
Round 2	2003	17	0 in pre planning 1 in planning (1200MW) 6 are consented (2235MW) 4 in construction (1793MW) 5 operational (1235MW) 1 did not receive planning consent
Round 3	2008	9 Zones	7 zones (29.7GW) in pre planning 2 zones (5 projects, 2.5GW) in planning 0 are under construction 0 are operational
Scottish Territorial Waters	2008	5	3 in pre planning (3395MW) 2 in planning (1370MW) 0 are under construction 0 are operational
Round 1 and 2 Extension projects	2009	4	2 in pre planning (974MW) 2 in planning (555MW) 0 are under construction 0 are operational
Demonstration	2009	4	1 in pre planning (12MW) 2 in planning (99MW & 77MW) 1 in construction (12MW) 2 are operational (14MW, Blyth and Beatrice, not leased by TCE)
Northern Ireland	2012	1	1 in pre planning (600MW)

TABLE 2
WAVE AND TIDAL STREAM

Round	Launched	Number of sites	Current Status
Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters	2008	11	1200MW in pre planning 400MW in planning
Demonstration (pre Application Window)	Pre 2010	13	8MW in pre planning 21.2MW in planning 21.7MW in operation
Demonstration (Application Window 1–3)	2010	14	65.1MW in pre planning 70.7MW in planning
Northern Ireland	2012	2	200MW in pre planning

November 2012