THE man heading a £7 billion tidal lagoon project off the Conwy and Denbighshire coast says the project will help the environment, not damage it.

Henry Dixon is the chairman of the North Wales Tidal Energy company currently lobbying the UK and Welsh governments for £50m of funding.

If secured, the £50m would fund an environmental impact assessment before government funding and private investment is sought. The lagoon is believed to be capable of generating enough electricity to power every home in Wales – as well as £500m annual returns.

But Mr Dixon says the tidal lagoon’s underwater turbines won’t affect marine life and will even benefit the environment.

“Everyone in the company is really keen that the environmental impact is minimised. One of the big things people talk about is fish,” he said.

“Can fish go through the turbines, or what if they go through the turbines? There are various developments. One is to look at very slow-moving turbines, so the fish can swim through the blades. The other is to make sure there are plenty of sluices and lock gates so the fish can swim through those instead, and there is a very interesting development by a Norwegian company with a turbine that is 99% fish friendly.”

He added: “There will be 150 square kilometres of water inside the sea wall, which is protected water from big waves. The wall itself will provide a really good area for crustaceans and other things. We have talked to mussel farmers who would be interested in having mussel farms within the walls. We will do everything we can to make sure any potential damage which is identified during the environmental study is minimised.”

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Mr Dixon claimed the lagoon’s 4m high sea wall would protect the coast from storms and erosion and possibly several species of nesting birds. He also reassured businesses relying on tourism that the sea wall would not damage scenic views.

“The wall would be about 4m higher than the sea, so you won’t see it (from the shore),” he said.

“At either end, you will have a sea wall coming in, like a port coming into the shore. But we’ve already got windmills, so you are not going to see it, and what you are going to see is a little line on the horizon. It will be virtually invisible.”

He also said the construction of the lagoon would be challenging but claimed the environmental impact would not be a problem.

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Mr Dixon added: “It is an engineering challenge. It is a big job, but at the end of the day, it’s a great big dam, but it happens to be filled with seawater, rather than freshwater. Talking to engineering companies, both consultants and companies, they say, ‘yes, it’s a big job but it is evidently doable’.

“Because you can float out these caissons, and you can float out the turbines and install them at the same time, it’s not too bad.”

Last week both Conwy and Denbighshire county councils gave the project their backing.

Andrea Winterton, Marine Services Manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: “We’re aware of the proposals for the tidal lagoon between Prestatyn and Llandudno in North Wales.

“We understand the scheme is currently at the early design stage and welcome the opportunity to continue to engage with the applicant so we can make sure all the necessary environmental and licensing requirements are considered.”