Britain approved the construction of a new generation of nuclear plants in January and wants to take advantage of French expertise to help build them, the paper said.

The announcement is due to be made at a summit involving Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Arsenal football club's Emirates stadium in north London Thursday.

Brown hopes that the venture will help Britain to develop a skilled labour force to work in the power stations which would then work alongside French workers to sell power stations abroad in the next 15 years, the paper said.

The plan to build more nuclear power stations in Britain with private sector help has proved controversial with some campaigners, who question the cost of the project and how the waste will be disposed of.

The Guardian also reported that Sarkozy and Brown would unveil a drive against illegal immigration during the two-day state visit, which starts Wednesday.

This will include an increase in the number of lorry checks at French and British ports and confirmation that there will not be a second immigration reception centre at Sangatte, near Calais, in northern France.

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