French President Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday said the country will maintain the same safety standards for the nuclear technology it exports as those it enforces at home.

Speaking at a round table event on energy policy, Sarkozy said it would be "out of the question" for a French company to sell abroad a nuclear power station with less rigorous safety specifications than it insists on in France.

Sarkozy intimated that France already has lost out abroad because its technology was costlier, but also safer.

In separate remarks, Sarkozy insisted that Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR), the operator of the country's fleet of 58 nuclear reactors, must remain a state-controlled company.

He also said the country's nuclear fleet will undergo a safety audit before the end of the year.

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