Proposed Strategic Resource Areas for Tidal Stream Energy

This layer shows potential Strategic Resource Areas (SRAs) for tidal stream energy, which are currently subject to consultation. Welsh National Marine Plan resource safeguarding policy will be applied to any SRAs introduced following consultation. This aims to ensure that new development by other sectors doesn’t inappropriately and without careful consideration block the potential for the tidal stream energy sector to submit future applications to locate activity in these areas.

The identification of SRAs does not mean that development in these areas would be supported. All developers will still need to apply for relevant consents and comply with environmental regulations in the usual way.

This layer has been derived from the Tidal Stream Energy Resource Area, following work undertaken by ABPmer to refine the Tidal Stream Energy Resource Area to reflect technical constraints (e.g. water depth) and hard constraints (factors or activities, such as existing infrastructure, which would realistically prevent development). ABPmer also removed any small, fragmented areas less than 2km². Welsh Government has then made further refinements to the area: to exclude areas outside the 12 nautical mile Territorial Limit, or within 500m of the mean high water mark. The result of this is four proposed SRAs, which are subject to consultation: Anglesey, Llŷn Peninsula, Pembrokeshire, and South Wales.