South Korea’s K-Water visits city region for technical discussions on the Mersey Tidal Power Project

This week the Combined Authority hosted colleagues from South Korea, led by Jang Byeong-hoon, Executive Vice-President of K-Water, operator of the world’s largest tidal power scheme.  The visit has been a really valuable opportunity to share technical insights as we develop our own Mersey Tidal Power Project.

Watch the audio descriptive version here

Speaking at the start of the visit, Martin Land, Director of the Mersey Tidal Power Project at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:

“We have a tidal symposium with our guests from South Korea, K-water, who operate the largest tidal range scheme in the world.  They’re here all week, mainly talking tidal range but also talking energy, low carbon, and innovation, which is what we’re all about in the Liverpool City Region.

“I think the brilliant thing about tidal range is that we’re trying to build something that will operate for more than 100 years.  So it’s not just about net zero for 2050, it’s about net zero for 2150 and, of course, our Liverpool City Region ambition is to be there by 2040.  But we really need government and industry to come with us on this now.

“We’re not the first people to do this but we want to be the first in the UK, so we look at the people who’ve already built it.  We’re learning from what they know now, what they would do differently.  It is that knowledge that will make us do better.  It is tried and tested.”

Kate Gilmartin, Chief Executive of the British Hydropower Association, who chaired the symposium, said:

“I think there are multiple co-benefits of delivering something like the Mersey Tidal Scheme.  Not only are we thinking about the supply chain and the jhobs and the skills, it is also about local deliverable low carbon energy and having an impact on affordability for consumers.”

Frances Fernandes, Managing Director, Infrastructure Matters, attending the symposium, said:

“We have no choice in moving towards a clean energy transition and Mersey Tidal has the ability to bring massive benefits, not only for energy production but also the whole regeneration and growth of this part of the world and wider in the UK.”