Workington MP Sue Hayman has given her backing to a proposed tidal lagoon for West Cumbria.

Renewable energy company Tidal Lagoon Power is targeting West Cumbria as one of six sites where it wants to build.

The West Cumbrian project, which would be in the Solway Firth, starting north of Workington, is dependent on the success of the firm's first project, planned for Swansea Bay.

With planning permission in place, the firm is waiting on Government to agree what subsidy it will pay to allow the green energy project to go ahead.

During a debate in parliament today, Mrs Hayman said: "I’m here to put on record my support for the proposed tidal lagoon in West Cumbria.

"In West Cumbria we market ourselves under the name Britain’s Energy Coast.

"With Calder Hall, now part of Sellafield, we were home to the world’s first commercial nuclear power station. We now have the new-build reactors at Moorside, which we hope will be given the go ahead very soon.

"It's been reported that the West Cumbria tidal lagoon, with its 90 turbines set within the breakwater, could have a generating capacity of 2GW, and a lifetime of 120 years. Add this to the 3.4GW of capacity provided by Moorside, and West Cumbria alone is producing around 10 per cent of the UK's electricity needs.

"It’s clear that a West Cumbrian tidal lagoon could bring huge economic benefits for my constituents – in the form of thousands of jobs during the construction period, as well as regeneration and investment in the local community."

The tidal lagoon plans are in their very early stages.

Once the Swansea Bay project is up and running, the company's next planned scheme is in Cardiff, which it hopes to submit a planning application for in 2018.

The West Cumbria project is among four others in the pipeline, with the others at Colwyn Bay, Newport and Bridgwater Bay.

No timescales have been drawn up for the later schemes yet.

A spokesman for the firm confirmed that early informal consultation had taken place in West Cumbria and formal consultation, including with local fishermen, would be held before the West Cumbria plan went ahead.

Sue Hayman, who is Shadow Minister for Tidal Energy, added: "I know that the company has been consulting with local people on the proposals, and it’s important that they listen to local fishermen, whose livelihood comes from the waters of the Solway.

"They have expressed their concerns to me, so I’m glad that Tidal Lagoon Power earlier this year set up a Fisheries Peer Review Group, to advise on the effects and impacts upon fish. It's vital that do everything in their power to mitigate any impact upon local fisheries.

"I was impressed by Tidal Lagoon Power’s comprehensive strategy for wider community investment in Swansea Bay, in the form of investment in local recreation, tourism, sport, and arts. This is exactly the sort of thing we also need in West Cumbria.

"The Solway Firth is beautiful – it’s a hidden gem, and more people need to know about it and to come and visit our attractions, taste our local food, particularly the seafood, and realise that there’s so much more to Cumbria than just the Lake District.

"So I absolutely support the pathfinder tidal lagoon project in Swansea Bay. If we can get this first project off the ground, then areas like the one I represent will be able to benefit greatly from a huge investment in our future that would help bridge our national energy gap and ensure we meet our international climate change commitments."