If things go the right way, Orissa's first attempt to harness tidal power for generating electricity would be in the form of a 1,236 MW plant along the creeks in Mahakalpada in the Mahanadi deltaic region.

SPI Ports Limited, a private limited company, has already carried out a feasibility study and documented a detailed project report for the proposed tidal power plant, Kendrapara district collector Sisirkanta Panda said.

The officials of SPI Ports Limited, which is in the race for an integrated port at Barunei in Rajnagar tehsil of the district, held talks with the district administration.

"The proposed power project will require 600 acre of land. There is availability of required government land in Mahakalpada tehsil. We are locating patches of land that will suit the requirements of the project", Panda said.

Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into electricity or other useful forms of power. Although not yet widely used, tidal power has potential for future electricity generation.

Tides are more predictable than wind energy and solar power, according to experts.