The turbine at Lynmouth will be followed by a bigger version

Guernsey Electricity is investing �250,000 backing new research into the tidal farm.

The island, which has some of the fastest tidal flows in the world, could see the farm sending power to the island by 2006.

Project developers Marine Current Turbines Ltd (MCT), have a successful pilot project under way at Lynmouth, off the Devon coast.

MCT said that a larger version of the Lynmouth turbine would be built and tested before it started building commercial tidal farms in 2006 or 2007.

Wind rival

"We believe we have made a major breakthrough in terms of extracting clean energy from the sea," said MCT managing director Martin Wright.

Alternative energy expert Paul Fletcher predicted tidal power could help Guernsey meet all its future power needs.

A marine current turbine looks like a smaller version of a modern windmill and the principle is exactly the same.

But whereas a windmill draws energy from the movement of air, the marine turbine uses currents in the water.

Its backers believe the concept can become a rival to wind power because ocean currents are more reliable than wind and also because they are less obtrusive; the structure is built on the seabed and projects just a few metres above the surface.

There is no danger to fish because the blades rotate quite slowly - about 20 revolutions per minute.