Sébastien Lecornu, a French Secretary of State, recently announced preliminary studies for the launch of a tidal-energy tender, which could be the first step towards France becoming the global centre of tidal-turbine production.

Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe, welcomed the announcement, saying: “France has one of the most powerful tidal resources in the world; it has world-leading tidal technology, and it has an existing offshore supply chain ready for action (www.oceanenergy-europe.eu).

A tender for tidal energy will see the first manufacturing plants come to France, creating a strong domestic industry, with significant export opportunities globally.

“The French government has clearly recognised this opportunity, and it will be up to the sector to demonstrate the readiness of the technology and the progress achieved in the first pilot farms.

“We look forward to discussing the design of the tender, to ensure fast deployment and best use of public finances.”