Plans for a 10-mile barrage across the Severn were shelved by the UK government in 2010 amid concerns about the potential costs involved.
However, a feasibility study did not rule out a privately financed scheme coming forward to build the barrage, which could generate up to 5% of the UK's electricity needs.

And just when you think it had gone away: BBC News - New talks on Severn barrage plan from Cardiff to Weston


New consortium 'Corlan Hafren' want to harness tidal power between south Wales and Weston-super-Mare to create electricity.

The UK government previously rejected plans for a publicly-funded barrage but did not rule out private schemes.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is talking to the group over a plan which may cost up to £34bn.

It said that, along with other departments, it had received a first draft of a business case for a privately financed barrage between Lavernock Point near Cardiff and Brean Down near Weston-super-Mare in Somerset.

DECC said that a private sector scheme would be eligible for support from the government.

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Save the softmouth trout

Things have changed a bit since May, 2010 when “The prime minister has said he wants the new coalition administration to be "the greenest government ever". David Cameron was speaking to civil servants at the Department of Energy and Climate Change on his tour around Whitehall to introduce the new government."

In Osborne's budget statement we learn there's a new coalition policy which will be -"introduc[ing] a new presumption in favour of sustainable development, so that the default answer to development is 'yes'". - basically this means all development, and, just to put the boot right in the chancellor adds "I am worried about the combined impact of the green policies adopted not just in Britain, but also by the European Union … if we burden [British businesses] with endless social and environmental goals – however worthy in their own right – then not only will we not achieve those goals, but the businesses will fail, jobs will be lost, and our country will be poorer."

All rather worrying if your favourite river happens to be upstream of Lavernock Point.

The consortium, consisting of Halcrow, Arup, KPMG, Sancroft, Marks Barfield Architects and Professor Roger A Falconer and others has obviously taken heart from the Tory's - or should one say coalition's - new policy of presumed favour, i.e. sod the environment, and blown the dust from their plans in anticipation of a nice fat bag of taxpayer's cash and relaxed ecological controls.

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Musha rig um du rum da