French energy policy bill passes

Paris (Platts)--24Jun2005

France's parliament formally passed an energy policy bill yesterday calling
for construction of a "demonstration nuclear reactor of the most recent
design" during the next "multiyear (generating capacity) investment planning
period" foreseen under France's electricity market act of 2000. That reactor
is expected to be of Framatome ANP's EPR design, but the law does not specify
a design. The energy policy bill was approved by both houses a year ago but a
conference committee was needed to agree on a common version of the
legislation. Under the compromise law, Electricite de France will be obliged
to buy windpower from independent generators without a 20-MW threshold that
the National Assembly had attempted to legislate.

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