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Mott MacDonald has been appointed to help deliver a proposed £8 billion tidal power project in north west England.
The company is an advisor for the Northern Tidal Power Gateways scheme across Morecambe Bay and the Duddon Estuary, analysing how the wider economic benefits of the scheme can be captured and realised.
The development involves installing power generating turbines and developing transport links from the M6 in the south to Millom, with the potential to also reach Moorside.
Studies by Northern Tidal Power Gateways Ltd have suggested the gateway at Morecambe Bay could produce 6,500GWh of electricity per annum, enough to power approximately 1.5 million homes.
In addition, the Duddon Estuary gateway could generate around 100GWh of electricity each year, the equivalent of powering approximately 25,000 homes.
Overall, the Northern Tidal Power Gateways have the potential to generate over 7,500 construction jobs and more than £300 million gross value added per annum to the north west economy during construction.
David Stork, Mott MacDonald's project director, said: "We are very proud to be working on this exciting and ambitious project, which has the potential to be transformational for the north west. Our team will be responsible for investigating all the opportunities made possible by this development, as well as understanding the challenges that will need to be overcome to make the project feasible. Mott MacDonald also works on large hydropower projects around the world so we'll be bringing that extensive expertise to the project as well."
Alan Torevell, Chairman of Northern Tidal Power Gateways, said: "We are very proud that a company with the skill and prestige of Mott MacDonald is now working alongside us. It is hoped that before the end of Autumn 2017 there will be sufficient confidence to move into the feasibility phase of the project, where all the necessary planning requirements will need to be met and any remaining environmental concerns alleviated, to enable a start to be made."
(LM/MH)
