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• Approval for utility deals

  Electricité de France has permission to take a controlling stake in a Belgian utility as well as to complete its deal with Centrica regarding British Energy after a ruling by European competition authorities. Posted Nov 13 2009, 08:43 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF, Belgium, Electricité de France, Centrica, acquisition, BE, deal, EC

• Euro utilities eye £2.3 billion BE stake

  The potential sale of a 20% stake in UK nuclear power plant operator British Energy by Electricité de France has attracted interest from a variety of European utilities. Posted Oct 15 2009, 10:38 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF, UK, France, Electricité de France, acquisition, sale, operations

• EdF may sell UK distribution business

  Electricité de France (EdF) has appointed financial advisors to assist it in evaluating the potential sale of its electricity distribution business in the UK, operated by its UK subsidiary EDF Energy. Posted Oct 02 2009, 10:30 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF, UK, Electricité de France, T&D, sale

• UK authority clears Centrica-EdF deal

  Plans by gas and electricity supplier Centrica to acquire a minority stake in nuclear utility British Energy from Electricité de France (EdF) have been approved by the UK's consumer and competition authority, the Office of Fair Trading. Posted Aug 10 2009, 07:46 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF, UK, France, Centrica, acquisition

• BE restarts Hartlepool 2 after BCU repairs

  British Energy (BE) has restarted the third of the four Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) that have been out of service for boiler closure unit (BCU) repairs. The final AGR is expected to restart soon. Posted Feb 23 2009, 11:41 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, restart, repairs

• BE brings two AGRs back online

  British Energy has restarted two of the four Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors that have been out of service for almost one-and-a-half years for boiler closure unit (BCU) repairs. The other two are expected to restart soon. Posted Feb 03 2009, 11:03 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, repairs, AGR

• BE set to restart Hartlepool unit 1

  British Energy (BE) announced that its Hartlepool unit 1 Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) has been given regulatory approval to return to service, having been idle for some 16 months. Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) have their eight boilers (steam generators) fitted inside the reactor's reinforced concrete containment structure. Wire windings in the boiling closure unit (BCU) form part of the pressure boundary. A broken wire winding was discovered on a BCU at Hartlepool unit 1 during a planned inspection in September 2007, and BE decided to take its sister units at Hartlepool and Heysham 1 out of service for inspection and assessment. Having completed engineering modifications at Hartlepool unit 1, it will be the first of the four units to be restarted. All four reactors had previously been expected to resume operation by the end of 2008. BE said that it expects to return Hartlepool unit 2 and the two Heysham 1 reactors to service "in a phased process over the coming weeks." Posted Jan 26 2009, 09:27 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, Advanced Gas Reactors

• EdF starts process to integrate BE

  Electricité de France (EdF) has begun the process of the integration of British Energy (BE) following its takeover of the company. The first steps have been to decide on the new structure of EdF's UK operations and to make some key appointments. Posted Jan 13 2009, 06:43 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF, UK

• EdF finalizes BE takeover

  Lake Acquisitions Ltd - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Electricité de France (EdF) - announced that EdF's offer to acquire British Energy (BE) was now wholly unconditional. It said that by 5 January it had received valid acceptances for the ordinary offer and the convertible offer in respect of a total of 1,550,102,522 BE shares, representing in aggregate some 96.44% of the current issued share capital of BE. At the end of December, EdF's offer for BE was approved by European authorities, but both parties will have to divest power stations, and more land must be sold for new nuclear build. EdF has already announced plans to construct up to four 1600 MWe EPR reactors at existing BE sites. However, in an interview with the Financial Times , EdF CEO Pierre Gadonneix said, "If we want to meet the 2017 challenge for the first EPR, we must find ways to make the process as fluent as possible ... That will take time and that will cost." He also said that EdF was open to other companies taking stakes in its new nuclear power plants in the UK, along the lines of Enel of Italy's 12.5% stake in the new Flamanville EPR under construction in France. EdF is in talks with Centrica, owner of British Gas, to take a 25% stake in BE and Centrica has issued shares to raise the necessary cash. Posted Jan 06 2009, 10:05 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF

• BE sale get European approval

  The acquisition of British Energy (BE) by Electricité de France (EdF) has been approved by European authorities, but both parties will have to divest power stations, and more land must be sold for new nuclear build. BE's Eggborough coal-fired power plant and EdF's gas-fired Sutton Bridge plant are to be sold, as must sufficient land at either Dungeness or Heysham to build a new nuclear power plant. The European Commission said this land should be sold "at the purchaser's choice." One of the three options held by BE and EdF for new grid connections at Hinkley Point must be ended, and the firm must sell a certain minimum volume of power on the British wholesale market. Posted Dec 23 2008, 07:59 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, Electricité de France, European Commission

• BE buyout going through

  British Energy (BE) shareholders widely accepted Electricité de France's (EdF's) takeover offer by the deadline of 5 December. EdF now holds 92% of the company. Posted Dec 08 2008, 11:03 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF

• Centrica raises cash for BE stake

  Centrica has moved to raise £2.2 billion ($3.5 billion) towards the 25% stake it wants to buy in British Energy, which is at the centre of plans for four new reactors in the UK. Posted Oct 31 2008, 11:28 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, Centrica

• BE puts back restart date for two AGRs

  British Energy announced that although boiling closure unit (BCU) repairs at its Hartlepool and Heysham 1 nuclear power plants is "progressing well", two of the units will not return to service until early 2009. Posted Oct 13 2008, 12:15 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy

• New dawn for UK nuclear power

  British Energy is to be sold to Electricité de France (EdF) for £12.5 billion ($23.1 billion). New nuclear reactors will be built at Sizewell and Hinkley Point while the governments proceeds from the sale should "more than" cover all BE's clean-up costs. Posted Sep 24 2008, 07:29 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, EDF

• Centrica confirms BE interest

  UK-based energy company Centrica has confirmed that it is in discussions with a "third party" with a view to taking a minority stake in UK nuclear generator British Energy (BE). The third party is thought to be EdF, whose takeover of BE collapsed last week. Posted Aug 05 2008, 11:06 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: British Energy, Centrica