Developer Tidal Lagoon Power said yesterday that a four-week geotechnical investigation has started to determine seabed conditions and assess the viability of its plans.
The results will help the company decide how to progress with the proposed 250MW power plant, which is expected to be submitted for planning approval by the end of the year and could be connected to the grid as soon as 2017 if the local authority gives the project the go-ahead.
TLP said the power plant would generate electricity for 16 hours a day from the rise and fall of the area's tidal range, saving over 200,000 tonnes of CO2 during each year of its century-long lifespan.