THE £10 billion project to build tidal barrages across the Morecambe Bay and Duddon estuaries has once again reared its head in the House of Commons. 

Northern Tidal Power Gateways put forward plans to build tidal range power barrages that it says could generate emission-free power for 100 years and protect fragile ecologies from the threat of rising sea levels.

The project, they claim, could deliver eight million megawatt hours of predictable, emission-free power annually, enough for two million homes, and create more than 12,000 new jobs.

Speaking during Energy Security and Net Zero Oral Questions in Parliament, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron asked: "Private sector investment in clean energy is vital, but does the Minister agree that one reason that the United Kingdom, despite having the highest tidal range on planet Earth after Canada, still uses so little of it, is a lack of public sector leadership?

“Areas such as Morecambe Bay, which could contribute to tidal energy, bringing down people’s bills and protecting us against Putin, are something that we could move forward. Will the Minister agree to meet me and other MPs around the bay, so that we can bring forward plans to get the most out of our tidal energy?”

Responding, Energy Minister Graham Stuart said: "I am not an expert in the honourable gentleman’s history on this topic, but I hope it has been consistently in favour of tidal energy, and therefore different from so many other areas of policy.

"I share his enthusiasm for the potential of tidal energy. That is why we are the world’s leading nation in the deployment of tidal range, and why tidal power is eligible for the contracts for difference scheme.

“Notwithstanding so many issues, I would be happy to meet the honourable gentleman.”

It is a topic that has been raised multiple times in political debates. In October last year, Barrow MP Simon Fell met with the former Prime Minister Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor to discuss the project. 

When Mr Stuart faced a similar question about the tidal barrage last year, he said there was 'huge untapped potential.'