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PRIMRE/Databases/Projects Database/Projects/West Somerset Tidal Lagoon
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West Somerset Tidal Lagoon
The West Somerset Tidal Lagoon is a proposed Tidal Range power scheme, that aims to harness the energy of the tides to provide zero carbon renewable energy. It is strategically located on the southern coast of the Bristol Channel Basin between Minehead and Watchet to take advantage of the world’s second highest tidal range and to become the UK's largest sustainable energy project.
In a tidal lagoon an enclosure is formed to impound the tides. The tides flow in and out of the lagoon's 125 bulb turbines to generate electrical energy, producing four periods of energy every 24 hours. At the end of each generation cycle, large sluice gates are opened to allow more water into the lagoon to increase water level and energy in the next generation cycle. The West Somerset Tidal Lagoon will have a capacity of 2500 MW and will produce 6.5 TWh of electricity—enough to power 2 million UK ‘median usage’ homes.
Additional Information
Project Status
Is the project actively being planned or is deployed in the water (active)? Or was the project canceled or completed (inactive)?
Active
Project Life Cycle
Project Progress through life cycle:
- Planned: Project has identified a deployment location and is preparing for deployment
- Operational: Project is deployed in the water and is active
- Completed: Project was previously deployed in the water
- Decommissioned: Installation has been fully removed in accordance with regulations
- Canceled: Project was canceled before being deployed in the water
Planned
Max Rated Power Capacity
The maximum amount of electricity that can be produced by project, based on available resources and device nameplate capacity.
2500 MW
Project Start Year
2021
Energy Resource
- Tidal
Project Scale
Full-scale
Number of Devices
125
Waterbody
Bristol Channel
Site Characteristics
Geographic characterization for the project location:
- Open Ocean: Main body of ocean, not enclosed or partially enclosed by land
- Coastal: Open water near the coast, spanning between land and shelf boundary
- Enclosed Bay: water that is partially surrounded by land, with a mouth open to larger water
- Constricted Channel: A channel where water flows quickly due to narrowing by the land
- River: Water flowing from land towards a larger body of water
Coastal
Country
United Kingdom
Last Modified
8 April 2025
Citation Formats
“West Somerset Tidal Lagoon.” Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects, PRIMRE, United States Department of Energy, https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/West_Somerset_Tidal_Lagoon. Accessed <day> <monthRoman> <year>.
Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects. <year>. "West Somerset Tidal Lagoon." Accessed <monthRoman> <day>, <year>. https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/West_Somerset_Tidal_Lagoon.
