The officials told the FT the cost of a replacement could reach at least £20 billion – more than double previous public estimates of between £6 billion and £9 billion. The EA’s own published TE2100 funding guidance already puts the total cost of Thames estuary flood defence work through to 2100 at £16.2 billion, an estimate that has risen 50% since the plan was first published in 2012. A decision on a replacement may need to be made imminently, given that construction could take up to 30 years.
