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Rance Tidal Power Station

1963 establishments in France20th-century architecture in FranceBuildings and structures in Ille-et-VilaineCoastal constructionEnergy infrastructure completed in 1963
Saint-MaloTidal barragesTidal power stations in FranceTourist attractions in Ille-et-VilaineÉlectricité de France
Barrage de la Rance
Barrage de la Rance

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, it is currently operated by Électricité de France and was for 45 years the largest tidal power station in the world by installed capacity until the South Korean Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station surpassed it in 2011.Its 24 turbines reach peak output at 240 megawatts (MW) and average 57 MW, a capacity factor of approximately 24%. At an annual output of approximately 500 GWh (491 GWh in 2009, 523 GWh in 2010), it supplies 0.12% of the power demand of France. The power density is of the order of 2.6 kW/m2. The cost of electricity production is estimated at €0.12/kWh. The barrage is 750 m (2,461 ft) long, from Brebis point in the west to Briantais point in the east. The power plant portion of the dam is 332.5 m (1,091 ft) long and the tidal basin measures 22.5 km2 (9 sq mi).

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Rance Tidal Power Station (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Rance Tidal Power Station
Barrage de la Rance, Saint-Malo

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N 48.618055555556 ° E -2.0233333333333 °
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Barrage de la Rance

Barrage de la Rance
35400 Saint-Malo, Le Rosais - La Flourie
Brittany, France
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Barrage de la Rance
Barrage de la Rance
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Battle of Saint-Malo
Battle of Saint-Malo

The Battle of Saint-Malo was fought between Allied and German forces to control the French coastal town of Saint-Malo during World War II. The battle formed part of the Allied breakout across France and took place between 4 August and 2 September 1944. United States Army units, with the support of Free French and British forces, successfully assaulted the town and defeated its German defenders. The German garrison on a nearby island continued to resist until 2 September. Saint-Malo was one of the French towns designated as a fortress under the German Atlantic Wall program, and its prewar defenses were expanded considerably before the Allied landings in Normandy during June 1944. As part of their invasion plans, the Allies intended to capture the town so that its port could be used to land supplies. While there was some debate over the necessity of this in August as the Allied forces broke out of Normandy and entered Brittany, it was decided to capture rather than contain Saint-Malo to secure its port and eliminate the German garrison. After initial attempts to capture the locality failed, the US Army began a siege operation. Infantry units attacked and defeated large numbers of fortified German positions with the support of artillery and aircraft. A fortification on the edge of Saint-Malo was the final German position on the mainland to hold out, and surrendered on 17 August. After extensive air and naval bombardments, the garrison on the nearby island of Cézembre surrendered on 2 September. German demolitions made it impractical to use Saint-Malo as a port. The town was also heavily damaged during the battle and was rebuilt after the war.