France Committed to Putting Nuclear Sector Back on Track

The French government is fully committed to putting the French nuclear sector back on track, Prime Minister Manuel Valls told parliament.

He said the government's first priority was to restore the competitiveness of state-owned nuclear group Areva, but added that everything would be done to avoid redundancies at the firm, which published a 4.8 billion euro annual loss on Wednesday.

"The state has ambitions for the French nuclear sector and will make its voice heard" Valls said.

Valls said that Areva and state-controlled utility EDF must work together in a close partnership, although he made no comments about EDF possibly taking an equity stake in Areva. He also said he saw "immense" opportunities for cooperation with Chinese partners.

"The nuclear industry is an industry of the future and the state will take its full responsibility," Valls said, adding that nuclear capacity is key for energy independence and the fight against climate change.

Reporting by Geert De Clercq