A report commissioned by French president Nicolas Sarkozy on the future of France's nuclear industry will focus on cooperation among national champions to ensure success winning overseas contracts, a person close to the French government told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.
A report commissioned by French president Nicolas Sarkozy on the future
of
France
's
nuclear industry will focus on cooperation among national champions to ensure
success winning overseas contracts, a person close to the French government
told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.
The report, authored by Francois Roussely, former chairman and chief executive
of French state-controlled power behemoth Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR)
will be made public "around the 15th of May," the person said.
It won't look at a possible reorganization of the industry or changes in
capital structures at the energy companies, the person said.
The report comes after an all-French consortium comprising EDF, oil major Total
SA (TOT), private power operator GDF Suez (GSZ.FR) and state-controlled nuclear
engineering firm Areva (CEI.FR), embarrassingly lost a $20 billion bid for
nuclear plants in Abu Dhabi in December to a South-Korean consortium.
France
is
home to some of the world's largest nuclear companies.
The person close to the government declined to detail any specific
recommendations.
"What matters to win international nuclear bids is what customers want and
how French companies will act towards local partners, whatever the structure of
their consortium and the quality of their offer," said one French energy
sector expert, who asked not to be identified.
"French are quite arrogant in that respect, if they believe it has to do
solely with the way they organize themselves," he added.
The Roussely report is likely to recommend creation of a high commissioner who will
help French companies partner together for individual bidding opportunities,
the expert said.
The so-called Roussely report also concerns the future of nuclear power
generation in
France
. The
country's 58 nuclear reactors are all owned and operated by EDF, and account
for nearly 80% of the country's power output.
Contrary to market and press speculation, the report doesn't discuss any of the
French energy companies' capital structure, such as French state-controlled
nuclear engineering group Areva, nor does it concern French energy companies'
strategies for their own assets, the person close to the government said.
There's been speculation that Areva would be dismantled and its assets
distributed to other major French nuclear sector companies.
Upon taking office last November, EDF's new Chief Executive Henri Proglio
openly mused about dismantling Areva, with EDF grabbing Areva's nuclear
engineering activities.
There also has been speculation that the report would discuss EDF's strategy
for its recently acquired 49.9% stake in nuclear assets of U.S.-based power
company Constellation Energy Group Inc (CEG).
In late 2008, Constellation agreed to sell nearly half of its nuclear-power
business for $4.5 billion to the French power giant after the financial crisis
nearly drove the Baltimore-based company into bankruptcy.
As part of the deal, EDF agreed to a put option allowing Constellation to sell
it 12, mostly coal-fired power plants for up to $2 billion.
But "the report is not about that," the person said.
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