(Adds details and CEO comments.)
PARIS -(Dow Jones)- French utility Suez's (SZE.FR) Chief Executive Gerard Mestrallet reiterated Tuesday Suez isn't interested in buying U.K. nuclear power company British Energy Group PLC (LSE:BGY) (BGY.LN), but may still be interested in playing a role in the U.K. nuclear sector.
Speaking at a French parliamentary commission hearing, Mestrallet - who will head up the new group created from the merger between Suez and French state- controlled Gaz de France (Euronext:1020848) (1020848.FR) - said Suez is "not at all interested" in buying British Energy (LSE:BGY) but added the company continues to watch developments in the U.K. with a view to potentially playing a role in a planned nuclear revival there.
"We're watching," Mestrallet said, adding the U.K. government has said it doesn't want just one company to forge ahead with building new plants.
Mestrallet said the future GDF Suez group could conceivably build in the U.K. "one or two EPRs, why not." By EPR he was referring to the European pressurized reactor, designed by French nuclear group Areva (Euronext:CEI) (CEI.FR).
Electricite de France (Euronext:1024251) (1024251.FR) also hopes to build EPRs in the U.K. Any decision on investing in EPRs in Western Europe would be for the new GDF Suez board to approve, Mestrallet said after the hearing.
Mestrallet declined to say whether Suez or the future GDF Suez, expected to come into existence July 22, might be interested in buying or building on sites in the U.K. not owned by British Energy (LSE:BGY) , such as greenfield plots or those held by the U.K.'s nuclear decommissioning authority.
-By Adam Mitchell, Dow Jones Newswires; +33 1 4017 1740; adam.mitchell@ dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires 07-01-08 1221 Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
