Global Dispatches: UK—Of River Surfing and Cheese Rolling

U.K. scraps barrage plans to amp up the country’s electricity.

Contestants in the men's race chase a Double Gloucester Cheese down the steep gradient of Cooper's Hill during the annual Bank Holiday tradition of cheese-rolling on May 25, 2009 in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England. Matt Cardy/Getty Images

GLOUCESTER, England—The wild Severn bore is safe—for now, at least.

When spring comes around, and the moon is right, I hope to see its bristling power for the first time myself.

Not Ye Olde English for a breed of pig, the Severn bore is a tidal wave that sweeps up the river estuary with enough force to carry surfers for miles, conjured up by the combination of the second largest tidal range in the world and a perfect funnel-shaped estuary.

It is the same extraordinary tidal power that planners had hoped could generate 5 percent of the U.K.’s electricity, in what would have been the largest sustainable energy project in the world.

But with concerns over environmental impact, and the government unwilling to foot the massive bill in a new age of austerity, the plan for a 10-mile wide barrage was shelved last week.

Locals had worried that the barrage would wreak havoc not only with the local wildlife, but also with their precious bore.

As I read the news, I too was relieved.