Recommendation 22

We welcome the inclusion of tidal power in Contracts for Difference auctions which has resulted in 40MW of clean power from tides being awarded contracts. Tidal and other marine energy projects should be a vital component of the Government’s strategies for delivering both net zero and energy security. Tidal and other marine energy projects should be a vital component of the Government’s strategies for delivering both net zero and energy security. We recommend that the Government incorporate, as part of the revised net zero strategy to be published by March 2023, an approach to developing tidal and marine energy that includes a stated ambition for the sector set out in gigawatts of generating capacity. The UK should be aiming to generate a significant proportion of its power from these sources by the middle of the 2030s. This approach must be extremely sensitive to biodiversity considerations given the obvious risks of disrupting important habitats, and the Government should make this clear in planning guidance.