In a speech at a Liberal Democrat conference in Cardiff on the weekend, Farron responded to recent comments from prime minister David Cameron questioning the project, insisting that it “must go ahead”.
Farron said the project is a key test of the government’s commitment to the green energy sector. He said that in the last six months, progress on the government’s green commitments has been “unravelling at an alarming pace”.
He said: “It would be utter madness for the Government to pull further investment from the renewable sector which generates economic growth and jobs.
“We have been a world leader in this field and maintaining that status is now in jeopardy. The Tidal Lagoon is a litmus test for the Government.
“The Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon must go ahead. It will provide hundreds of jobs and supply energy for 120 years – over three times as long as a nuclear plant.”
He was responding to recent comments Cameron made to a committee of MPs, highlighting concerns over the amount of public subsidy the project may require.
Negotiations between the government and the project’s developer, Tidal Lagoon Power, are ongoing. Local media has suggested a new strike price of £96.50 per MW/h over a period of 90 years could be on the table, though the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) said it would be “inappropriate to comment at this time”.