French power plant and rail engineering group Alstom SA (1022047.FR) is still interested in a tie-up with state-controlled nuclear engineering group Areva SA (CEI.FR).
But at present there are fresh new developments in the situation, Alstom Chief Executive Patrick Kron said Wednesday.
Kron has been advocating a merger with the French nuclear reactor maker for some time, notably as it could solve both companies' size problem in comparison to their main competitors, such as General Electric Co. (GE), Siemens AG (SI) and Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO).
Although French President Nicolas Sarkozy has shown enthusiasm for creating national champions, analysts say a tie-up is becoming increasingly unlikely, and many investors now expect part of Areva's capital to be put up for sale.