IT NOW appears that the hugely ambitious plan to build a barrage across the Severn Estuary has suffered a fatal setback.

And this latest plan will go the way of the many others.

Hafren Power aimed to harness the tidal energy of the estuary to drive what would have been one of the biggest power stations in Europe.

The company claimed it would produce 5 per cent of the UK’s electricity in a clean and sustainable way.

And it had built up a groundswell of support, not least from former Welsh secretary Peter Hain, who argued that the barrage would create thousands of jobs and provide a significant boost to the Welsh economy.

But the proposal also had many critics who felt the massive £25 billion cost of it outweighed any benefits.

It was also argued that the construction and operation of the 18km barrage would also undermine any potential environmental gains, by destroying habitats.

Now following an inquiry, the House of Commons energy and climate change committee says it could not recommend the scheme.

Given that the construction of such a major scheme would require an Act of Parliament this lack of support suggests that the plan is now sunk. The committee said the amount of government support needed would be too high and the economic case in favour of it had not been made, which is fairly fundamental.