On 14/05/2010 17:52, Bruce wrote:
On current estimates, the likely cost of a Severn Barrage is between
£23 billion and £30 billion.

The lowest projected cost per kWh of electricity generated is 27p.
Some options would give a cost exceeding 40p per kWh. Compare that
with gas at 4p and wind at 17p to 21p per kWh.

So not only would it cost up to £30 billion to build, it would never
produce a return on capital because every kWh generated would require
am extremely heavy subsidy.

While looking for further evidence I came across the bit below (written
so it happens by someone who didn't see the project as worthwhile).
There is a huge gap between this and Bruce's figures even allowing for
the doubling of the overall cost in his version.

Its estimated cost of construction would be £15bn, it would need 200,000
man years of labour, with a maximum at peak of 40,000
men. It could be built in 15 years from the decision to proceed. The
caissons would be 40m wide, 80m long, and 35m deep, made
of concrete or possible steel construction like North Sea oil platforms,
and floated out from fabricating yards. They might weigh
90,000 tons each.

The price per KWhr of the power produced would depend on the rate at
which the capital cost was discounted. If it was paid for by
taxation, with the Treasury discount rate of 2% the price would be 2.3p
per kwh, compared with coal at 4p. If there were a
commercial discount of 8% the price would be 9.2p per kwh, almost as
expensive as biomass (11p).

For the full item

http://www.iwtnet.pwp.blueyonder.co....ernbarrage.pdf