Rance Tidal Power Station

Rance Tidal Power Station
Aerial photograph of the Rance Tidal Power Station
Location of Rance Tidal Power Station in France
Official nameUsine marémotrice de la Rance
CountryFrance
LocationBrittany
Coordinates48°37′05″N 02°01′24″W / 48.61806°N 2.02333°W / 48.61806; -2.02333
StatusOperational
Construction began26 July 1963
Opening date26 November 1966
Construction cost620 million
Owner(s)Électricité de France
Dam and spillways
Type of damBarrage
Length700 m (2,300 ft)
Reservoir
Tidal range8 m (26 ft)
Power Station
TypeTidal barrage
Turbines24
Installed capacity240 MW
Capacity factor24%
Annual generation500 GWh

The Rance Tidal Power Station is a tidal power station located on the estuary of the Rance River in Brittany, France.

Opened in 1966 as the world's first tidal power station, the 240-megawatt (MW) facility was the largest such power station in the world by installed capacity for 45 years until the 254-MW South Korean Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station surpassed it in 2011.