The Reef

How can the West Somerset Railway prosper from a tidal reef in the Bristol Channel?

One of several ideas to harness the renewable energy generated by the tidal flows in the Bristol Channel is the "Tidal Reef" proposal from Evans Engineering. See http://severntidal.com/mystart.html

The Tidal Reef is rather different in many ways from the other, more conventional, proposals. It will also the longest, running from Minehead to Aberthaw, around 12-13 miles.

The Minehead landfall is proposed to be at Warren Point, just east of Minehead. Evans Engineering make much of the existing rail connections at each end. The WSR is seen as key to moving the materials to the work site. Evans Engineering suggest a branch leaving the WSR just west of Dunster Station, across about a mile of former saltmarsh to Warren Point, and then extending along the "reef" for about a mile to a transit point.

The RSPB - long time opponent of any Severn Barrage for fears of damaging important bird feeding mudflats in the estuary - has come out in favour of the Evans Engineering proposal. See vidclip on BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_east/7748431.stm

Of course, all of this depends on the feasibility study for the Welsh Assembly Government and the UK government on harnessing the estuary's tidal power which started in January. It seems discussions are continuing.

The WSR has not made any comment on the proposal.