A London Eye engineer wants to build a massive tidal power station on a 14-mile arc off the Somerset coast, which could help Britain meet growing demand for electricity to power artificial intelligence – and create a new race track to allow cyclists to pass over the Bristol Channel.
Julia Barfield, who designed the Eye Tower and i360 observation tower in Brighton, is part of the team that drew up the £11bn proposal. It will curve from Minehead to Watchet and use 125 underwater turbines to harness the power of the second highest tidal range in the world.
The proposal comes amid growing concern that the rapidly increasing use of artificial intelligence in Britain will lead to increased carbon emissions unless more renewable energy sources are found. The AI boom is expected to add to sharp increases in electricity demand across the UK, which the government is supporting estimated This month could double by 2050.
“If the decision is to move forward with adopting more and more artificial intelligence — which I’m surprised is not being questioned more in a time of climate emergency — it would be better with a renewable energy source,” Barfield said. “Data centers can double their energy demand, and this is a reliable and predictable source.”
The barrage will not cross the full width of the channel, but will instead curve to and from the Somerset coast with a maximum output of 2.5 gigawatts – not much less than the peak power that would be generated by the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station 12 miles to the east. It will be enough to power two million homes.
The vision includes a path along the top of the semi-circular barrage for walkers and cyclists willing to brave the southwesterly winds, a marina for water sports, a lido and an observation tower. Local MP Rachel Gilmore, who supports the plan, said the route would “become absolutely iconic”.
The designers have tentatively suggested that it might also be possible to install data centers inside the structure, allowing them to take advantage of cheap seawater cooling. There are hopes of using oyster and mussel beds, arrays of floating solar panels and a coastal amphitheater to boost the economy of Minehead, once a popular holiday resort, now one of Britain’s most deprived areas by 20%.
The latest UK energy policy states that tidal and wave energy could play a role “if its costs can be reduced”.
“We have people who want to fund it, but they will only do so if the government is supportive,” said Aidan Clegg, chief executive of the consortium. “They need to take this seriously. This is not hypothetical – we have a solid plan ready,” he added.
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “We are open to considering well-crafted proposals to harness tidal range energy in bays and estuaries around our coasts, which demonstrate strong value for money. The AI-driven Energy Board brings together the likes of NESO.” [the National Energy System Operator]EDF, Microsoft and Google are working to solve the energy requirements of artificial intelligence, exploring opportunities to attract investment and support the development of low-carbon energy for data centres.
Tidal power is more predictable than wind and solar, although there are several hours when the tide turns each day with little or no force. Supporters of West Somerset Lake The project believes that it will last 120 years, and thus will produce energy at a lower cost than nuclear energy.
It was first designed several years ago with the aim of reducing the UK’s carbon footprint. Since then, the AI revolution has begun and is now on its way to dramatically increasing energy demand. Britain’s National Energy System Operator, NESO, has anticipation Electricity demand for data centers will triple by 2035. The massive racks of microprocessors needed to train and run artificial intelligence models and store increasing amounts of data on which the 21st century technology-based economy depends will account for the bulk of the overall increase in commercial electricity demand.
The West Somerset Lagoon is the latest in a series of proposals to harness the power of the tides in the Severn Estuary. In the 1980s, other lakes were proposed in the narrower part of the estuary, near Bristol, while a complete barrage from near Cardiff to near Weston-super-Mare has been proposed more recently, raising concerns about widespread and irreversible change in the estuary system. The idea’s latest sponsors say the lake would not cut off navigation channels to the ports of Bristol and Cardiff, and would fall outside protected areas such as local nature reserves and special conservation areas.
“Mainehead and the whole of West Somerset is an area of deprivation and this project will drive positive transformation,” Barfield said. “It will create full-time skilled jobs, a water sports area, a visitor centre, an observation tower and cultural facilities. It could also become a breeding center for marine mussels, seaweed and oysters. These are the types of businesses that local youth can develop because the tidal range will be more controlled.”