Tidal power electricity generators currently operating
 

Established tidal power electricity generators currently operating around the world:

These five tidal power plants are the only commercial-scale tidal power generators currently operating in the world. They are all located in areas with strong tidal currents, which are necessary for generating electricity from tidal energy.

Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station (South Korea) - 254 MW
La Rance Tidal Power Station (France) - 240 MW
Annapolis Royal Generating Station (Canada) - 20 MW
Jiangxia Tidal Power Station (China) - 3.2 MW
Kislaya Guba Tidal Power Station (Russia) - 1.4 MW

Plus these tidal power plants which are smaller in scale than the five commercial-scale plants listed above, but they are still significant projects that are helping to advance tidal energy technology.
Orbital O2 (Scotland) - 2 MW*
SR2000 (Scotland) - 2 MW*
Tocardo T2 (Netherlands) - 0.2 MW
SeaGen (Northern Ireland) - 0.15 MW
Minesto (Faroe Islands) -1.2MW (Came onstream and exporting to grid 09/2024)

Orbital O2 and SR2000 are two tidal turbines developed by Orbital Marine Power, a Scottish engineering company. The O2 is the world's most powerful tidal turbine, with a capacity of 2 MW. The SR2000 is also a 2 MW turbine, and was the world's most powerful tidal turbine when it was first deployed in 2016.

Both turbines are floating turbines, which means that they can be deployed in deeper waters than traditional fixed-bottom turbines. This makes them more suitable for a wider range of tidal sites.

The O2 and SR2000 turbines are both currently operating at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland. EMEC is a tidal test site that provides developers of marine energy technologies with the opportunity to test their devices in real-world conditions.

Orbital Marine Power is planning to deploy a commercial array of O2 turbines in Orkney in the next few years. The array will have a capacity of 10 MW, and will be one of the first commercial tidal arrays in the world.

Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station is a barrage tidal power plant located on Sihwa Lake, South Korea. The plant has a capacity of 254 MW and is the largest tidal power plant in the world.

The plant consists of a 12.7 km long seawall that separates Sihwa Lake from the West Sea. Ten bulb turbines are installed in the seawall and generate electricity as the tide flows in and out of the lake.

Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station generates enough electricity to power a city of 500,000 people. It is a clean and renewable source of energy that does not produce any greenhouse gas emissions.

Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station diagram: shows the seawall that separates Sihwa Lake from the West Sea. The ten bulb turbines are installed in the seawall and generate electricity as the tide flows in and out of the lake.