First tidal lagoon energy project plan to power 120,000 homes

If it gets the go-ahead, the tidal lagoon energy project in Swansea Bay could be the first of a series of five developments around the UK coast which could generate as much as 10% of the UK's electricity by 2023.

Tidal Lagoon Power, the company behind the project, said it was hoping that 65% of expenditure would be in the UK, boosting a homegrown supply chain and a possible future export market. The company has produced a video to explain the scheme:

The project includes creating a 10km sea reef, the reintroduction of the native oyster to Swansea Bay, an offshore visitor centre and national triathlon and water sports facilities.

According to the developers, research as part of the project's initial stages found that 86% of local residents were in favour of the scheme. The Swansea Bay project would save 236,000 tonnes of carbon a year and create 1,850 construction jobs.

Read: Tidal lagoon energy project plan to power 120,000 homes

Plans have been submitted to develop the world's first tidal lagoon energy project in the UK, which would provide renewable power for 120,000 homes for 120 years.

The developers of the £750-850 million project in Swansea Bay say their application is the first step to developing lagoon technology that could meet 10% of the UK's electricity needs from the tides.

The scheme would involve a six-mile (9.5km) wall built around Swansea Bay, creating a lagoon in the Severn Estuary with turbines that can harness the incoming and outgoing tides to generate power 14 hours a day.