Welsh government names winners of $945K tidal lagoon challenge

The Welsh government has revealed winners of the Tidal Lagoon Challenge, a program committed to making Wales a world center for emerging tidal energy technologies.

The £750,000 (approximately $945,000) program was launched in June 2023, seeking to select at least three research projects that will help address the barriers that have so far prevented the development of the technology and give more insight into the benefits it could bring to Wales.

The winners of the Tidal Lagoon Challenge were announced on March 14, 2024.

According to categories, the winning bids were the following:

Environment category: Swansea University, in collaboration with Fish Guidance Systems, Natural England, Batri, and DST Innovations, is undertaking a project focused on facilitating tidal lagoon consents. 

This involves gathering data on fish migration and evaluating the efficacy of an acoustic fish deterrence system (AFD) for twaite shad. The project will utilize fish tagging and monitoring techniques to assess the effectiveness of AFD as a mitigation strategy for tidal range deployment.

Engineering category: Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, along with Cardiff University, Intertek, and Western Gateway, is collaborating on the FLOMax project. This initiative aims to assess the value of tidal range power development through advanced modeling techniques.

Socio-economic and Finance category: Cardiff University, in collaboration with Western Gateway and British Hydropower Association, is conducting the Tidal Lagoon Schemes project. This initiative explores various ownership and financing models for tidal lagoons to assess their potential economic benefits for Wales.

“We are a strong supporter of marine energy and the incredible opportunity presented by Wales’s coastline,” said Climate Change Minister Julie James, speaking at the Marine Energy Wales conference.

“Congratulations to each of these projects. I am excited how the research will help to move the tidal lagoon sector in Wales forward by developing the tidal lagoon schemes whilst also recognising the potential value of this work for other marine industries.”