A2A SpA (A2A.MI) and Electricite de France SA's (EDF.FR) September deadline to reach an agreement on their joint control of Edison SpA (EDN.MI) may be postponed, a top official at the Italian municipal utility said Thursday.

The Sept. 15 deadline "isn't dogmatic" and can be postponed by some months, said Franco Baiguera, an A2A management board member, in Milan .

A2A and EdF in March decided to give themselves six months to reach an accord over Edison , Italy 's No. 2 electricity and natural gas company by capacity, after A2A said it was unsatisfied with the existing arrangement.

The two companies then agreed on a preliminary basis for EdF to get control of Edison , as well as the gas assets, while A2A would get mainly hydroelectric assets.

The deal was blocked by Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti over concerns that French companies were snapping up Italian ones without reciprocity.

Tremonti's opposition appears now to have disappeared, Baiguera told reporters.

A2A recently said it is now aiming for a better deal, as the value of gas assets is likely to have increased given apprehension over nuclear power following the Japanese meltdown, which has played into the hands of natural gas.

Baiguera also said any deal will likely result in Edison 's chairman being picked by Italian shareholders.
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