(Details, context)
PARIS, Sept 29 (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron has decided to appoint Luc Rémont CEO of EDF to replace Jean-Bernard Lévy, Le Figaro newspaper reported on Thursday.
Current head of international affairs at Schneider Electric, Luc Rémont was the favorite to take the helm of the energy company which will soon be renationalised.
According to Le Figaro, he was received Wednesday afternoon at the Elysée before the “imminent” announcement of his appointment.
The newspaper, which does not cite its sources, adds that Emmanuel Macron would have taken the decision to keep a single governance for EDF, while the hypothesis of a split in the posts between the general management and the presidency was evoked with insistence these last weeks.
The Elysée did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters.
The change at the head of EDF comes after the State announced in July
its intention to launch a takeover bid
at 12 euros per share on some 16% of EDF’s capital that he does not yet hold.
While the group is faced with a historically low availability of its nuclear fleet which is aggravating the energy crisis in Europe, recent weeks have been marked by a
indirect arms pass
between Jean-Bernard Lévy and Emmanuel Macron concerning the maintenance of the French nuclear fleet.
Up to thirty of the 56 reactors of the French nuclear fleet were simultaneously shut down for maintenance operations or corrosion problems, which helped to keep electricity prices at record levels while the Europe is seeking to do without Russian gas and that France, usually the region’s largest electricity exporter, has become a net importer during this period.
Some analysts also believe that forecasts for restarting EDF reactors by winter may prove to be too optimistic and that France could be forced to
ration electricity
to meet its own needs. (Written by Myriam Rivet and Tangi Salaün, edited by Nicolas Delame)