The La Rance tidal power station, located on the Rance River in Brittany, France, begins operation as the world's first large-scale tidal power plant. This innovative project harnessed the energy of the tides, a predictable and renewable source of water power, using a barrage and 24 turbines. While tidal power remained a niche technology, La Rance demonstrated the feasibility of capturing marine energy and was a pioneering step in the exploration of new forms of renewable energy.

The La Rance station is a landmark in the history of renewable energy, a theme that has become increasingly important in contemporary poetry and literature, especially in the context of climate change. The harnessing of the tides evokes the sublime and cyclical power of the ocean, a subject that has inspired poets from Homer to the present. The station represents a technological attempt to work with the rhythms of nature, a concept that resonates with the ecopoetry movement.