£11bn West Somerset Lagoon Tidal Power Project Proposed Off Somerset Coast
A £11bn tidal power project named the West Somerset Lagoon has been proposed, featuring a 14-mile arc from Minehead to Watchet off the Somerset coast. The scheme would use 125 underwater turbines to generate a maximum output of 2.5 GW, enough to power about 2 million homes. The project is expected to operate for around 120 years and claims to be cheaper than nuclear power.
The design is led by Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects and includes a top-of-barrage pedestrian and cycle path along with facilities such as a water-sports marina, a lido, and an observation tower. There is also potential for datacentres within the structure. Environmental features envisioned for the site include oyster and mussel beds, floating solar panels, a coastal amphitheatre, and marine farming initiatives aimed at boosting the local economy in Minehead.
Backers of the project state it would transform Minehead and West Somerset by creating jobs and contributing to regeneration in an area considered among Britain’s most deprived 20%. The lagoon would curve from the Somerset coast, avoiding major navigation channels and sitting outside protected areas. It would not span the full Bristol Channel.
Government officials have expressed openness to well-developed tidal proposals that demonstrate strong value for money. The AI energy council, including companies such as Neso, EDF, Microsoft, and Google, is exploring investment opportunities and low-carbon datacentre power options. This proposal follows a history of tidal power plans in the Severn estuary, including previous lagoon and barrage projects near Bristol and Cardiff–Weston-super-Mare, which faced environmental and ecological concerns.
