France renewable energy from sea

Testing is about to start on the world's largest marine turbine to transform energy from sea currents into electricity.

The giant turbine, which is 16 metres high, was commissioned by EDF from Irish company OpenHydro. It has now left Brest, where it was constructed, for its underwater destination a few miles at sea on the site of Paimpol-Bréhat off the coast of Brittany.

Electric production from the turbine is expected to be equivalent to 2 megawatts, enough to cover the annual electricity consumption of between 2,000 and 3,000 homes.

Similar experiments have been conducted in Scotland and Canada, but this is the first time that tests are being carried out on this scale, according to EDF.

The turbine will now undergo a two-month test period.