A deal which may see French nuclear power conglomerate EDF take over the nuclear power firm British Energy (BE) may be back on. Earlier this year an attempted merger fell through in a wrangle over cost. However it is now being reported that a possible £12.4 billion takeover package may seal the deal.

Neither EDF or British Energy have yet made any comment but we understand a press conference will be held on Wednesday during which the deal will reportedly be announced.

The plan if realised will see EDF take-over British Energy's ailing infrastructure and it is clear that it is not the active nuclear plant that is the incentive for the deal but rather the potential of a new generation of nuclear power plants on the existing BE sites. British Energy operate eight nuclear sites in the UK where new reactors could be built including two sites in Scotland and also Heysham on the coast of the Irish sea.

If confirmed, the deal would allow the UK Government to bank a multi-billion pound windfall from its substantial shareholding in British Energy.

However the implications for safety and the environment are horrendous. The current British nuclear power industry has an appalling safety record and its merger with EDF will not improve matters.

Early this year the French independent nuclear monitoring body, Criirad, expressed concern following a number of leaks from French nuclear power stations. The organisation cited contaminated of workers in four separate incidents.

In one incident about 100 staff at Tricastin, in southern France, were exposed to doses of radiation and both EDF and AREVA were criticised for trying to down-play the seriousness of the incident.

It was also reported by Criirad at the time that there has been a 10-fold increase in the number of incidents reported by people working in the French nuclear power industry. Refreshingly it seems more workers are now willing to speak out about safety concerns in France, although a culture of concealment still persists.

At its AGM in Brittany in 2006 the Celtic League adopted a resolution opposing any expansion of the British and French nuclear industries (text below):

"This AGM concerned at proposals which may lead to the construction of a new generation of nuclear plants reiterates its opposition to the French and British civil and military nuclear programmes."

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J B Moffatt

Director of Information

Celtic League

23/09/08

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