{"id":1945,"date":"2026-10-30T01:34:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T01:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/?p=1945"},"modified":"2026-10-30T01:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T01:37:12","slug":"mersey-tidal-power-preferred-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/mersey-tidal-power-preferred-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Mersey Tidal Power Project Picks Its Site: A Barrage Between Wirral and Liverpool"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/pexels-photo-6233865.jpg\" alt=\"Mersey Tidal Power barrage site on the River Mersey between Wirral and Liverpool\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Mersey Tidal Power project has picked where it wants to be built. According to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the preferred development zone sits on a 1.5 mile stretch of the River Mersey between Bromborough in Wirral and Otterspool in Liverpool, covering both banks of the river. The announcement, reported on October 29, 2026, is the biggest step yet for a scheme that aims to become the largest tidal range power plant in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The Combined Authority will be asked at a meeting next week to approve the plan, which would move the project into its next phase of engineering, environmental and commercial work ahead of a future Development Consent Order application. No construction will take place until that consent is granted and a final investment decision is made.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/mersey-tidal-power-preferred-site\/#Mersey_Tidal_Power_how_the_barrage_would_work\" >Mersey Tidal Power: how the barrage would work<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/mersey-tidal-power-preferred-site\/#Mersey_Tidal_Power_why_the_scheme_is_now_a_dual_purpose_project\" >Mersey Tidal Power: why the scheme is now a dual purpose project<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/mersey-tidal-power-preferred-site\/#Mersey_Tidal_Power_why_it_matters\" >Mersey Tidal Power: why it matters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/eve-construction.com\/%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%aa%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b2%e0%a5%80\/mersey-tidal-power-preferred-site\/#What_happens_next\" >What happens next<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mersey_Tidal_Power_how_the_barrage_would_work\"><\/span>Mersey Tidal Power: how the barrage would work<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A tidal barrage works on a simple idea: hold back water on one side, then let it flow through turbines as the tide changes. The River Mersey is well suited to the idea because its tidal range reaches up to 10 metres, the second highest in the United Kingdom, and because its estuary has an unusual shape that funnels the tide. According to the Combined Authority, the scheme would generate electricity from the difference in water level on either side of the barrage.<\/p>\n<p>If built as planned, the project would generate up to 1 gigawatt of clean electricity and keep generating for 120 years. That long life is one of the reasons tidal range power attracts engineers: unlike a wind turbine or a solar panel, a barrage is a civil structure that can serve for more than a century, but it must be designed from the start to survive that long in salt water, shifting sediment and storm surges.<\/p>\n<p>The preferred location was chosen after engagement with stakeholders and a detailed technical appraisal of the options, according to the announcement. The appraisal also recommended further work on refining the barrage so it lines up with navigation channels to the side of the structure, along with lock based options that would let ships keep passing. Getting that balance right is the central engineering challenge of any estuary barrage: the structure must block enough water to generate power while keeping a working river open for shipping and protecting the estuary ecology.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mersey_Tidal_Power_why_the_scheme_is_now_a_dual_purpose_project\"><\/span>Mersey Tidal Power: why the scheme is now a dual purpose project<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In January 2026, the Combined Authority announced that the project had become a dual infrastructure scheme, offering flood protection from rising sea levels as well as clean energy. The change followed detailed analysis of updated Environment Agency flood maps. According to the authority, a tidal barrage could play a crucial role in protecting homes, businesses and vital infrastructure across the region, which makes the engineering case about resilience as much as about electricity.<\/p>\n<p>The funding question is also moving. At the same meeting next week, the Combined Authority will be asked to adopt a Regulated Asset Base model as the preferred way to fund the project, following a Finance Model Update. Under that model, the developer can start recovering some costs from customers while the project is being built, rather than waiting until it is finished. The authority says that approach reduces costs for investors and the public purse and offers stable, regulated returns over time. The model is already used for nuclear power stations, water networks and major transport schemes.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mersey_Tidal_Power_why_it_matters\"><\/span>Mersey Tidal Power: why it matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Mayor Steve Rotheram said: &#8220;For as long as I can remember, people have talked about harnessing the power of the River Mersey. Identifying where the barrage could be built is a major step forward for a project that has the potential to be genuinely transformational, not just for our region, but for the country.&#8221; He added that the region should generate more of its own energy, strengthen its energy security and create good jobs at home.<\/p>\n<p>Councillor Angela Ball, Cabinet Member for Energy and Environment, said the project is a once in a generation opportunity to deliver clean, affordable energy while protecting communities and the local environment from the impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n<p>Public support looks strong so far. A first public engagement in 2024 attracted more than 3,000 responses, with 84 percent backing the project and 92 percent supporting the need for more renewable energy in the Liverpool City Region. The Combined Authority says the scheme would create thousands of jobs in construction and operation and position the region as the United Kingdom&#8217;s epicentre for tidal manufacturing and associated supply chains.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happens_next\"><\/span>What happens next<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If the Combined Authority approves the plan next week, the project moves into detailed engineering design, environmental assessment and commercial development. It is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project under the Planning Act 2008 and is currently in Phase 4 of development. Plans are being prepared for a second public engagement in late 2027 or early 2028, and the final investment decision is now expected in 2030, although the authority says it continues to work with government and partners to accelerate progress.<\/p>\n<p>For civil engineers, the Mersey scheme is a test of whether tidal range power can move from long discussed idea to deliverable infrastructure. The site is now chosen. The harder work, proving the barrage can generate power, protect against flooding, keep the river working and survive its estuary for 120 years, comes next.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/britbrief.co.uk\/environment\/renewables\/mersey-tidal-project-preferred-site-revealed.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/britbrief.co.uk\/environment\/renewables\/mersey-tidal-project-preferred-site-revealed.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Photo: Pexels<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Mersey Tidal Power project has picked where it wants to be built. According to the Liverpool City Region Combined 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