The creation of a £6 billion to £8 billion Tidal Lagoon in Cardiff Bay - between the capital city and Newport - will be discussed by the City of Cardiff Council’s Cabinet at a meeting next Monday.

A report to Cabinet will recommend that a Scrutiny Task and Finish Group should gather up independent, expert advice on the opportunities and issues that a lagoon could bring to the area.

The Cabinet report comes as the Hendry Review - set up by UK Government to independently assess the case for tidal lagoons in the UK – prepares to release its findings.

Leader of the City Council, Cllr Phil Bale said:

 “A Tidal Lagoon for Cardiff Bay would see the construction of a seawall, some 22km in length, enclosing an area of some 70 square kilometres. It would hold 11 times the volume of water that the proposed Swansea Lagoon would contain. “

“This is potentially an engineering and energy project of global significance yet there is limited independent information about its feasibility or practicality. Right now there has been no detailed independent, expert analysis or critical scrutiny of the Cardiff project which is of an entirely different scale to the Swansea Bay scheme.

“Clearly the Hendry Review will give an independent opinion, but this is likely to be a high-level analysis of the lagoon concept rather than a detailed critique of the Cardiff project.”

“It’s important the City Council does what it can to ensure the potential issues and opportunities are fully understood. We have time now to gather up independent evidence so we can have an informed view on Tidal Lagoons and the effect one this size could have on Cardiff and the surrounding area.”

The report to Cabinet will recommend that the Environment Scrutiny Committee establish a Scrutiny Task and Finish Group to gather independent, expert advice before reporting back to Cabinet.

It also recommends that in the event the project is progressed following the Hendry Review that City Council officers are authorised to undertake a detailed appraisal of the potential economic, social and environmental implications of the project for Cardiff.

Officers would also be authorised to engage with Tidal Lagoon Power Plc (the company behind the scheme), or any other potential developer, to understand more fully the public benefit which would be offered to offset any potential risks.

The final decision on whether the tidal lagoon gets the go ahead will rest with the UK Government’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the UK’s Planning Inspectorate. However, although the City Council is not the decision-making body it will still play an important role in any process.

Phil Bale added that a project on this scale could offer many opportunities, creating thousands of jobs, delivering low carbon energy, and enhancing regeneration options, commenting:

“There’s no doubt it could be an incredibly exciting project for Cardiff and Wales. But, it may also raise potential environmental issues which will need to be carefully assessed.We want to look carefully at all the potential benefits.”

“ How will the energy a Lagoon harnesses here in Cardiff be distributed? Could the city and Wales benefit from cheaper energy prices? There are still many unanswered questions. Our interest is in the public interest and as the Local Authority which could be home to this engineering marvel we want to get those answers for the residents of our city.”