John Penrose

Conservative Party | Weston-super-Mare

Weston-super-Mare MP Advises Government on Severn Barrage

Weston-super-Mare MP John Penrose has been asked by Secretary of State John Hutton MP to join the Severn Barrage Tidal Power Feasibility Study Forum, which will advise the Government on local opinion during the two-year Feasibility Study further details of which were confirmed this week.

When the study was initially announced in October 2007 Mr Penrose had written to the Government to insist that it should compare the various competing technologies for harnessing the power of the Severn estuary, including the barrage, tidal lagoons and tidal flow. John Hutton, Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, confirmed in a private letter to Mr Penrose earlier this month that they had taken his comments on board, and this week invited the Weston-super-Mare MP to sit on the Severn Barrage Tidal Power Feasibility Study Forum so that he can continue with his recommendations.

Mr Penrose said:

“I’m delighted to be asked to help advise the Government on this hugely important project. It means I can represent local interests, and that Weston's voice will be heard loud and clear. The Severn estuary is the single largest potential source of renewable energy in the UK, equivalent to several conventional or nuclear power stations. The question isn't whether we should harness its power, but how.

“The feasibility study is planned to take two years. I will continue to ensure that the Government takes a balanced and reasoned approach”