The firm behind the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon power scheme is planning to construct a new factory to manufacture turbines.

It anticipates that the new factory will become ‘the beating heart’ of a Made in Britain tidal lagoon turbine industry’.

Tidal Lagoon Power has launched a tender for the construction and design of a £22 million turbine manufacturing & pre-assembly plant in Swansea Bay.

The 100 metre long factory will be between the Kings and Queens Dock at Swansea Bay. It will receive major turbine components from manufacturers throughout the UK, with all machining and pre-assembly of the sixteen 7.2-metre runner diameter turbines needed for the tidal lagoon taking place on site.  It will also be a manufacturing base for more tidal lagoons that the firm plans across the country.

According to a report published by Tidal Lagoon Power, the potential value of the tidal lagoon sector to UK industry is:

Domestic market for tidal lagoon turbines and generators: £17 billion

Domestic market for Made in Britain tidal lagoon turbine housings: £24 billion

Exports to international tidal lagoon market: £30 billion

The report is part of Tidal Lagoon Power’s lobbying efforts to secure approval from the government. The £1 billion Swansea scheme is the subject of a government commissioned review into the project.

Although the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project has now been signed off, the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon is still one of the major projects yet to be decided upon by the Maybies now running the country, along with the airport runway issues.

The ‘Ours to Own’ report sets out how Britain’s first mover advantage in the production of major components for tidal lagoon turbines, generators and turbine housings at Swansea Bay can be sustained and grown as the tidal lagoon sector scales in the UK and worldwide.