BHA Says Tidal Range Technology In The Severn Estuary Would Have Prevented Spike Price Shock

Harnessing Hydropower Would Protect Consumers From Skyrocketing Energy Costs

Major concerns over Britain’s energy security, sparked by an extraordinary electricity price spike and an urgent warning over gas storage levels last week, could be resolved if the government urgently backs Tidal Range as a reliable, predictable and homegrown energy source.

The British Hydropower Association, alongside the Tidal Range Alliance, is today calling for the creation of a Government/Industry taskforce, similar to one established to promote offshore wind, to harness the force of Tidal Range to help stabilise energy markets, reduce consumer costs and ensure resilience during periods of high demand and low wind generation.

A dramatic energy price spike on January 8th, 2025 – where electricity soared to an extraordinary £1,353/MWh at 5pm – underscores the urgent need for non-weather dependent, reliable, predictable and homegrown renewable energy within the UK.

Last week, Centrica which owns British Gas, said that plunging temperatures and high demand for gas fired power stations have also reduced UK winter gas storage to concerningly low levels, and according to the data platform, Amira, surplus electricity capacity on the national grid had fallen to just 580 megawatts (MW).

Kate Gilmartin, CEO of the British Hydropower Association, (pictured above) has warned that without exploiting Tidal Range and increasing Hydropower capacity, a home grown, reliable, renewable energy source, Britain’s energy future will continue to fall back on increasingly expensive peaking gas plant.

“Tidal Range and Hydropower provides a backstop against the kind of price spikes and uncertainties and operational vulnerabilities that we have seen recently, and the BHA urges the government to work with the Hydropower industry to help unlock its major potential.

“We have the potential to eradicate many of Britain’s current energy concerns by utilising the enormous power of Tidal Range. We need to mobilise and harness this huge resource of our island nation.

“Incorporating tidal range power plants, with their life expectancy of 120 years, into the UK’s energy mix could mitigate these extreme price spikes and offer long term energy security for consumers.”

Had the UK already deployed 5GW of tidal range infrastructure – a scenario explored in recent Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE) studies – the outcome on January 8th would have been drastically different.

High tide in Cardiff at 1:16 pm aligned the second tidal generation window perfectly with the critical evening peak period. This would have enabled a 25% reduction in fossil fuel reliance during that time, decreasing dependency on expensive, carbon-intensive energy sources.

The recent surge in electricity prices occurred during a wind drought – or ‘dunkelflaut’ – a period of low wind generation caused by a persistent high-pressure weather system, coinciding with high winter demand on one of the coldest days of the season. While wind energy struggled to deliver, Tidal Range and conventional Hydropower would have offered a predictable and dependable alternative.

Hydropower, while only a fraction of the overall electricity generation grid currently, can provide significant benefits because it provides energy when more intermittent renewables are not operating.

During 2022, Hydropower saved the UK consumer £1.1 Billion, equivalent to £38.50 per household.

Gilmartin added: “High energy days like January 8th exemplify why the approximately 1GigaWatts of mostly shovel-ready Hydropower that is still available to be unleashed in Britain could provide a crucial service in removing expensive gas from being needed to prop up the grid during low wind & low sunshine periods.”

Two gas power station operators are expected to be paid more than £12 million to supply just three hours of electricity to cover the January 8th gap in production – more than 50 times the market price according to experts.

Unlike wind, Tidal Range energy generation is entirely predictable, as it relies on the gravitational pull of the moon rather than fluctuating weather conditions. Even if the timing of peak tidal generation does not align perfectly with peak demand periods (typically 5-8 pm), Tidal Range energy can be stored and schemes strategically placed across the UK can be used to complement other renewable sources like wind.

Even during non “dunkelflaute” periods Hydropower energy is a cost-effective solution. The current average energy price of £348/MWh far exceeds the projected cost of tidal range energy, which remains significantly lower.

The BHA says that with only small changes to the Contracts for Difference schemes, and a determined push to modernising and digitalising existing Hydropower stock, would ensure that Hydro works to the advantage of the UK energy system, distributing energy when needed.

If you would like to read more about the benefits of all forms of Hydropower to the UK and how we can best meet them, visit the British Hydropower Association website here: https://british-hydro.org/