THE UK Government Business Secretary Greg Clark has informed the Westminster Parliament that, despite “leaving no stone unturned”, he has rejected the plans for a £1.3bn tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay.

This decision is such a short-sighted one for the future energy provision for the UK. Tidal lagoon technology is not groundbreaking new technology but is merely a hydroelectric power station built in tidal waters capturing, four times a day, the flow of tides through its turbines.

No country in the world is better placed to harness and develop tidal power than the UK. Once built, the Swansea lagoon would have relatively low long term running costs with huge benefits on the sidelines from the recreational use and so on.

This decision is a sad one for Swansea, for Wales and for the UK as a whole. It is one that we can only hope will be reversed in the future.

Alex Dickson,

Inverkirkaig,

Lochinver.