This agreement establishes a long-term industrial and commercial partnership, a partnership underpinned by a sharing of the risks associated with the performance, scheduling and development of EDF's electronuclear production facilities and one which meets European competition law
– By April Murelio –
The EDF Group and Exeltium, a consortium of electricity-intensive industrial consumers in France (for which electricity prices are an essential parameter of competitiveness), have finalised the conditions for the two-phase implementation of the partnership agreement concluded on 31st July 2008, whereby electricity supplies to about a hundred industrial sites in France at approximately half of the rights of their contract will start on 1st May 2010.
The result of an initiative by the French authorities launched in 2005, this agreement establishes a long-term industrial and commercial partnership, a partnership underpinned by a sharing of the risks associated with the performance, scheduling and development of EDF's electronuclear production facilities and one which meets European competition law.
This agreement will contribute to furthering EDF's investment drive in the renewal of its electronuclear installations and to secure part of the sourcing of electricity of its industrial customers – Exeltium shareholders for 24 years in total.
The EDF Group, one of the leaders in the European energy market, is an integrated energy company active in all businesses: generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply and trading. The Group is the leading electricity producer in Europe. In France, it has mainly nuclear and hydraulic production facilities where 95% of the electricity output is CO2-free.EDF's transmission and distribution subsidiaries in France operate 1,285,000 km of low and medium voltage overhead and underground electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage networks.
The Group is involved in supplying energy and services to more than 38 million customers around the world, including more than 28 million in France. The Group generated consolidated sales of € 66.3 billion in 2009, of which 49% in Europe excluding France. EDF is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index.
Exeltium is a simplified joint stock company founded by six major industrial consumers of electricity (Air Liquide, ArcelorMittal, Arkema, Rio-Tinto-Alcan, Rhodia and Solvay) with the aim of securing the long-term supply of electricity to industrial sites owned by its 26 future partner-clients.