- Energy in France
Électricité de France (EDF) is the mainelectricity generation and distribution company inFrance . It was founded onApril 8 ,1946 as a result of thenationalisation of a number of electricity producers, transporters and distributors by the Communist Minister of Industrial ProductionMarcel Paul . UntilNovember 19 ,2004 it was a government corporation, but it is now a limited-liabilitycorporation under private law ("société anonyme"). The French government partially floated shares of the company on the Paris Stock Exchange in November 2005, [cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/11/21/business/edf.php|title=EDF shares fail to light up market|last=Bennhold|first=Katrin|date=21 November 2005 |work=International Herald Tribune |accessdate=2008-07-11] although it retains almost 85% ownership as of the end of 2007. [cite web|url=http://investisseurs.edf.com/the-edf-group/edf-investors/stock-information/shareholding-policy-117065.html|title=Shareholding policy|date=31 December 2007 |publisher=Électricité de France|accessdate=2008-07-11]EDF held a
monopoly in the distribution, but not the production, of electricity in France until1999 , when the firstEuropean Commission directive to harmonize regulation ofelectricity market s was implemented.EDF is one of the world's largest producers of electricity. In
2003 , it produced 22% of theEuropean Union 's electricity, primarily fromnuclear power :
*nuclear: 74.5%
*hydro-electric: 16.2%
*thermal: 9.2%
*wind power and other renewable sources: 0.1%Renewable energy
Piper Jaffray expected strong growth in France in 2009 and 2010, partly because of an expected decline in the price ofsolar panel s and partly because of subsidies introduced in 2006 making themselves felt. France should be a key driver for solar together with Italy during 2009-2010. Piper Jaffray believes that France would add 500 megawatts of capacity in both 2009 and 2010. France has just 50 megawatts of solar power capacity now. [http://www.solid-state.com/display_news/166815/5/HOME/Spanish_subsidy_cuts_to_pinch_solar_firms] .References
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