French industrial group Alstom SA's (ALO.FR) Chief Executive Patrick Kron Thursday said working with Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR) can give an important advantage in winning contracts abroad for France's nuclear industry.
EDF has an "eminent role to play" as an operator and also in overseeing nuclear reactor projects, Kron said in an interview on BFM Radio.
When EDF is involved, the French nuclear industry can be "better placed," Kron said.
The recent failure of a group of French companies to win a big nuclear reactor contract in the United Arab Emirates has raised the question of whether EDF ought to have been closely linked to the consortium from the outset.
Alstom's main products include turbines and other power-generation equipment.