Commenting on today’s report on the Severn Barrage, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Steve Webb said:

"It is important that we hit our renewable targets in a cost-effective way, and this report provides valuable information on different strategies.

"But we cannot meet our renewable targets through low cost options alone. We need a huge expansion of renewables and that will mean a combination of different resources.

"The Severn estuary has huge potential for power generation and the Government should speed up its appraisal of the different options so that a decision can be made.

"With the soaring costs of other forms of electricity generation, it is hard to believe that there is no relatively cost-effective way of harnessing the tidal power of the Severn."