EDF FACES FIRST COMPETITION HURDLE OVER LONDON ELECTRICITY BUY.

Electricit de France (EDF), the French state-owned utility that has just bought UK power firm London Electricity in a controversial GBP1.3 billion deal, will now have to face the veiled threats made from some of its competitors in the run-up to the sale finalised on November 30. EDF has just sent in a formal notification to the European Commission's Merger Task Force, which is looking into the terms of the deal and market share of the French company, which already provides around 5% of UK's power needs through an undersea interconnector. London Electricity, which was previously owned by the American group Entergy, supplies electricity to 4 million people in the Greater London area and also supplies 150,000 customers in the UK with gas.

EDF, which went ahead with the London Electricity deal amidst pressure from the Lionel Jospin's Government to withdraw, will now have to wait four weeks to know if the Commission wishes to formally approve its acquisition, or to launch a four month in-depth investigation into the...

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