Off the coast of Normandy lies the Raz Blanchard, a natural funnel where the sea surges in and out every six hours with astonishing force. Here, a French tidal power pioneer – backed by EIB Advisory Services – is preparing a small revolution in clean energy.
Harnessing the tide
Tidal stream power takes advantage of the relentless force of the tides to generate clean electricity. Unlike the wind or the sun, tides never rest. Driven by lunar gravity, they can flow as fast as 22 km/h (12 knots), reversing direction every six hours. And because water is 800 times denser than air, its energy potential is immense – and perfectly predictable.
But harnessing the power of the tides is challenging. Turbines must withstand millions of cubic metres of moving salt water, day and night. They must protect marine life, avoid chemical and noise pollution, and prevent fish or mammals – think orcas – from being harmed by the blades. Finally, the farm must be profitable, despite high maintenance costs.
Normandie Hydroliennes, a French tidal power pioneer, plans to inaugurate a pilot tidal farm in the Raz Blanchard by 2028. Four giant turbines, each 24 metres wide, will be anchored in the shallowest spot at 38 metres deep.
The breakthrough? A horizontal axis enabling the turbines to capture tidal energy in both directions. Alongside this, a set of cost‑cutting innovations — such as a subsea hub that gathers power from all turbines into a single cable to shore — helps drive costs down and in turn, paves the way for industrial‑scale deployment.
When the four turbines run at full speed, they will produce electricity for around 15 000 people, the size of town like Le Bourget.
Investing expertise
The pilot project received a €31.3 million grant from the European Commission’s Innovation Fund in March 2025 and EIB Advisory support through the Bank’s Innovation Fund Project Development Assistance initiative.
The initiative supports projects developing new technologies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2021, it has already helped dozens of innovations reach commercialisation in less than four years.
EIB Advisory assigned a renewable energy specialist and a finance expert, supported by a team of consultants, to work with Normandie Hydroliennes for four to six months on tasks such as financial modelling, an independent technology review as well as market and feasibility studies.