Nuclear power in Europe

Barely a few days before the collapse of Lehman Brothers, EDF finally clinched its multi-billion pound acquisition of British Energy. At about the same time, the French state-controlled electricity group also tried – and failed – to counter veteran investor Warren Buffett’s bid for control of a US electricity utility, Constellation Energy.

PARIS, Nov 25 (Reuters) - French energy strikers cut a total of 4,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity and 1,000 MW of thermal capacity since Monday night, an official at the CGT union told Reuters on Tuesday.

French strikers are holding a 24-hour strike to protest against salaries and pensions.

"The strike has cut a total of 5,000 MW, this is a very positive outcome for us," the union official said, adding that strikers had been warned by EDF not to cut more capacity to avoid endangering the supply/demand balance.

PARIS, Nov 18 (Reuters) - EDF said on Tuesday it would comply within the next three months with the French nuclear safety authority's order to improve the piping of explosive liquids at the southern nuclear plant of Cruas.

The nuclear safety authority ASN said in a note published on its website that it had detected rust on pipes transporting hydrogen, an explosive gas used to treat the water that cools the reactor, into premises housing key safety equipment.

A growing number of people are warming to nuclear power and more people now favour it rather than oppose it, according to a new YouGov survey for EDF Energy, the French nuclear power operator.

The survey, to be published tomorrow, shows that 53 per cent of the 4,449 people who took part in the online poll are now in favour of nuclear power stations to replace old ones. This compares with 46 per cent last year, and 41 per cent the previous year. At the same time 62 per cent agree that nuclear is needed as part of a balanced energy source for the UK compared with 59 per cent last year, and 54 per cent in 2006.