South Korea is the inspiration for UK plans to build the world’s largest tidal power project on the River Mersey after an agreement was signed with the country’s state water company.
Korea Water Resources Corporation owns and operates the Sihwa Lake tidal range power programme, currently the world’s largest.
An agreement was signed on Tuesday between Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and Jeong Kyeong-yun, vice president of Korea Water Resources Corporation.
The agreement will allow for close co-operation between the two projects, with reciprocal visits and information sharing.
It is hoped the Mersey Tidal Power Project will generate enough energy to power up to one million homes, and it could be up and running within a decade.
“There are still huge technical and financial challenges to overcome but Mersey Tidal Power has the potential to provide enough clean, green, predictable energy to power up to one million homes for over a century,” said Mr Rotheram.
“The case for tidal has never been clearer — both for our economy and our planet, especially given the importance of energy security following [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s murderous invasion of Ukraine.”
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He added that the Liverpool region's target to reach net zero by 2040 — a decade before the national government — was an ambitious one, but “with an abundance of natural assets and advantages on our doorstep”, it is more than possible.
“We want to take inspiration from trailblazers around the world, who are already leading the way in tidal energy, and our agreement with K-water is a massive step on our journey to bringing this project to life,” Mr Rotheram continued.
“I am very hopeful that this partnership will flourish and, hopefully, help to position the Liverpool City Region as Britain’s Renewable Energy Coast.”
