This week saw a major agreement announced that could mean the world's largest tidal power plant is a step closer to being created in the River Mersey.
When Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram stood for election for what was a new position back in 2017 one of his key pledges was to push forward with a plan for a huge tidal energy project in the River Mersey.
This was never going to be a quick turnaround and would take years of work to even assess whether such a huge project was feasible in this region. Most of that work has been taking place behind the scenes, but the announcement this week was a big public step forward for what Mayor Rotheram and his team hope will be a game-changing development.
READ MORE: 'The cold snaps your face' - the reality of sleeping rough in a brutal Liverpool winter
So what is a Mersey Tidal Project?
The idea is to build a huge damn structure in the River Mersey with turbines that can harness energy from the tides of the river and convert it into clean power. The city region combined authority is hopeful that this could power up to 1 million homes and create thousands of local jobs
The city region has one of the country's largest tidal ranges so it is seen as a perfect opportunity to explore a tidal project here. It is hoped such a project could generate a 'plentiful, reliable supply of clean, green energy for generations to come.'
Why now?
The idea of harnessing the tidal power of the River Mersey is not actually a new one. The first plans for a tidal barrage across the Mersey were produced back in 1924, with, reports and studies dating back to the 1980s. Operational tidal power schemes, like La Rance in France, date back as far as 1966.
But with the world now facing climate catastrophe, the feeling is that now is the time for tidal and the hope is that the Liverpool City Region can be a world leader.
What happened this week?
This week the Liverpool City Region signed an agreement with the company behind the current world's current largest tidal project with a view to learning lessons.
The Sihwa Lake tidal range power plant, which is operated by Korea Water Resources Corporation, generates 552GWh of clean, green energy every year, replacing the equivalent of 862,000 barrels of oil a year.
Jeong Kyeong Yun, Vice President of Korea Water Resources Corporation, known as K-water, was in Liverpool this week to sign an historic Memorandum of Agreement with Mayor Rotheram. It is hoped the agreement will pave the way for close co-operation between the two tidal power projects, through reciprocal visits and information sharing.
So how long will all this take?
Obviously this is an enormous project and Metro Mayor Rotheram accepts it will not get off the ground without government backing. He told the BBC this week: "This is an achievable and realistic scheme but nobody's taken it seriously, it's as close now as it's ever been. There are technical challenges and environmental concerns we need to address, but all of those things can be overcome. All we need now is a government to say 'yes'".
In terms of timescales, there have already been several years of technical studies. The project is currently in Phase 3 Concept Development which is looking to better understand how such a project can fit in River Mersey and Liverpool Bay.
Mayor Rotheram said that with the right support, he hopes the project could be generating clean, renewable power by the end of this decade.
READ MORE:
Share your Elf on the Shelf ideas in our photo competition
Most and least deprived areas in Merseyside mapped
'The cold snaps your face' - the reality of sleeping rough in a brutal Liverpool winter
Paedophile handed phone over to police and said 'it's all on there'
