SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Cash-strapped EDF to raise 3.1 billion euros with state support
Paris, March 18 (AFP) Mar 18, 2022
French energy group EDF said Friday it would raise billions in cash to fill a financial hole created by the closure of part of its nuclear fleet and measures to protect consumers from rising energy prices.

The French state, which holds an 84-percent stake in the supplier, will inject 2.7 billion euros ($3 billion) into the struggling energy giant.

The capital raise had already been announced in February, but the final value of 3.1 billion euros was higher than the initial indications.

The move would allow EDF to "strengthen its balance sheet in light of the events of early 2022", group CEO Jean-Bernard Levy said in a statement.

EDF's fortunes had already taken a hit after the government ordered it in January to cap electricity bills for French clients, as prices have spiked on global markets due to rising tensions with Russia.

While the provider normally generates the bulk of its electricity from its network of 56 nuclear reactors across France, many are near the end of their 40-year lifespans and around a dozen have been shut or will be soon to carry out safety inspections over corrosion risks.

That will force the group to buy power on the European market, which it expects to cost it some 11 billion euros this year -- even as its total debt load now stands at around 43 billion euros.

French President Emmanuel Macron, currently campaigning for reelection, announced plans in February to build as many as 14 new next-generation EPR2 reactors to reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels, which EDF has said could cost some 50 billion euros.

cdu-ngu/sea/lth

EDF - ELECTRICITE DE FRANCE


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Maven stays silent after routine pass behind Mars
ICE-CSIC leads a pioneering study on the feasibility of asteroid mining
NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Thorium plated steel points to smaller nuclear clocks
Solar ghost particles seen flipping carbon atoms in underground detector
Overview Energy debuts airborne power beaming milestone for space based solar power

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems
IAEA calls for repair work on Chernobyl sarcophagus
Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle

24/7 News Coverage
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Proposes Innovative Method to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact
Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space
Robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.