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World’s first tidal power station

The world’s first tidal power station is on the estuary of the River Rance in France

The world’s first tidal power station is on the estuary of the River Rance in France.

It was opened in 1966 by President Charles de Gaulle and has been capturing the natural power of the oceans’ tides and turning it into electricity ever since.

Alex Collins hears how the project to build it was a cause for national pride and how the facility is now a tourist attraction, as he speaks to Brittany historian Marc Bonnel.

(Photo: La Rance tidal power station. Credit: Getty Images)

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9 minutes

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Sat 14 Jan 202305:50GMT
BBC World Service Australasia

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