Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether their cost-benefit analyses of wind, solar, nuclear and tidal power take account of (1) the episodic nature of wind and solar power sources, and (2) the short service life of nuclear power facilities and their expensive hazardous waste; and whether their energy policy takes account of the capacity of tidal power stations to provide (a) a sea defence, and (b) a transport link, in addition to the generation of electricity.

Levelised Costs of Electricity for generation technologies are reported in the Generation Costs Report. They compare the lifetime costs for a plant (construction, operating, and decommissioning costs) against the plant's expected lifetime generation. They do not consider site specific benefits or costs.

In 2010, the Government published a review of tidal barrages or lagoons in the Severn Estuary; this considered flood defence and transport links. It concluded there was no strategic case for a publicly funded Severn tidal range project. The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for tidal range projects in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines.