Espace découverte EDF - Usine marémotrice de la Rance

35780 La Richardais, France (Bretagne)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Opened in 1966 as the world's first tidal power station, it is currently operated by Électricité de France and was for 45 years the largest tidal power station in the world by installed capacity.

Its 24 turbines reach peak output at 240 MW and average 57 MW, a capacity factor of approximately 24%. At an annual output of approximately 500 GWh it supplies 0.12% of the power demand of France. The power density is of the order of 2.6 W/m2. The cost of electricity production is estimated at €0.12/kWh.

The barrage is 750 m long, from Brebis point in the west to Briantais point in the east. The power plant portion of the dam is 332.5 m long and the tidal basin measures 22.5 km2.

History

The idea of constructing a tidal power plant on the Rance dates to Gerard Boisnoer in 1921. The site was attractive because of the wide average-range between low and high tide levels, 8 m with a maximum perigean spring tide range of 13.5 m. The first studies which envisaged a tidal plant on the Rance were done by the Society for the Study of Utilization of the Tides in 1943. Nevertheless, work did not actually commence until 1961. Albert Caquot, the visionary engineer, was instrumental in the construction of the dam, designing an enclosure in order to protect the construction site from the ocean tides and the strong streams. Construction necessitated draining the area where the plant was to be built, which required construction of two dams which took two years. Construction of the plant commenced on 20 July 1963, while the Rance was entirely blocked by the two dams.

Construction took three years and was completed in 1966. Charles de Gaulle, then President of France, inaugurated the plant on 26 November of the same year. Inauguration of the route crossing the plant took place on 1 July 1967, and connection of the plant to the French National Power Grid was carried out on 4 December 1967.

Tourist attraction

A lock for navigation at the west end of the dam allows the passage of 1600-tonne vessels between the English Channel and the Rance. Departmental road 168 crosses the dam and allows vehicles to travel between Dinard and Saint-Malo. There is a drawbridge where the road crosses the lock which is raised to allow larger vessels to pass. The Rance estuary is the first part of the inland waterway from the English Channel to the Bay of Biscay via the Canal d'Ille-et-Rance and the river Vilaine.

Important: Due to the Vigipirate plan, the Rance tidal power plant cannot be visited. Only the Discovery Area and the surroundings of the production site are accessible to the public.

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