FRANKFURT, Sept 6 (Reuters) – Shares in Germany’s utilities
E.ON (EONGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and RWE (RWEG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) climbed on hopes for billions
of euros of extra profits from a decision to extend the
lifespans of nuclear power plants in Europe’s biggest economy.
Late on Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition
agreed that the 17 nuclear power plants operating in Germany
would get approval to operate longer depending on their age,
giving each power plant an average extension of about 12 years.
[ID:nLDE6840EZ]

Nuclear power stations are the most profitable large-scale
power plants once building costs are paid off, as the fuel is
cheaper than fossil fuels, companies don’t need carbon
certificates and don’t have to fully insure them.
“Our first reaction is positive because the extension is
longer than we expected,” said Merck Finck analyst Theo Kitz.

FRANKFURT, Aug 12 (Reuters) – Germany’s RWE (RWEG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz),
Europe’s fifth-largest utility, warned government plans to
introduce a nuclear fuel tax in Germany would keep a lid on its
earnings and dividends for years to come.

The statement makes RWE the first utility to detail the
effects of a tax on the fuels of nuclear power stations, which
Berlin plans to claw back profits that power providers made by
charging customers for carbon certificates they got for free.

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – France’s GDF Suez (GSZ.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) is set to take control of Britain’s International Power (IPR.L: Quote, Profile, Research), the companies said on Tuesday, creating the world’s largest utility with annual revenue of 84 billion euros ($111.5 billion).

The deal comes after talks were aborted earlier this year and will allow GDF access to growth in emerging markets and give it a foothold in the UK and Australia.

LONDON/FRANKFURT, Aug 10 (Reuters) – France’s GDF Suez
(GSZ.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is set to take control of Britain’s International Power
(IPR.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the companies said on Tuesday, creating the world’s
largest utility with annual revenue of 84 billion euros ($111.5
billion).

The deal comes after talks were aborted earlier this year
and will allow GDF access to growth in emerging markets and give
it a foothold in the UK and Australia.

FRANKFURT/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Billionaire Li Ka-shing has offered to buy UK power grids from France’s EDF (EDF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) for 5.8 billion pounds ($9.1 billion), giving his companies a foothold in more lucrative overseas markets.

Cheung Kong Infrastructure (1038.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (CKI) and Hongkong Electric (0006.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (HKE) said they won an auction for three power distribution grids and private power networks owned in Britain by EDF, the world’s second-largest utility.

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) – Two firms controlled by Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, are to buy UK power grids from France’s EDF for over 5.5 billion pounds, giving them a foothold in more lucrative overseas markets.

Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI), together with Hongkong Electric (HKE), won the auction for the three power distribution grids and the private power networks from EDF, the world’s second-largest utility, three people told Reuters.

FRANKFURT/LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) – Two firms controlled
by Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-shing, are to buy UK power grids
from France’s EDF (EDF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) for over 5.5 billion pounds ($8.6
billion), giving them a foothold in more lucrative overseas
markets.

Cheung Kong Infrastructure (1038.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (CKI), together with
Hongkong Electric (0006.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (HKE), won the auction for the
three power distribution grids and the private power networks
from EDF, the world’s second-largest utility, three people told
Reuters.

FRANKFURT/LONDON, July 30 (Reuters) – France’s EDF
(EDF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research), the world’s second-largest utility, agreed to sell
its British power grids to two Hong Kong bidders for more than
5.5 billion pounds ($8.6 billion), two sources told Reuters.

Hongkong Electric (0006.HK: Quote, Profile, Research) (HKE) and Cheung Kong
Infrastructure (1038.HK: Quote, Profile, Research) (CKI), which is controlled by
billionaire Li Ka-shing, won the auction for the three power
distribution grids and the private power networks, three people
told Reuters.

FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) – France’s EDF (EDF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world’s second-largest utility, agreed to sell its British power grids for more than 5.5 billion pounds ($8.60 billion), two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Hongkong Electric (0006.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (HKE) and Cheung Kong Infrastructure (1038.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) (CKI) won the auction for the three power distribution grids and the private power networks, three people told Reuters.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – European companies in industries with low growth prospects such as airlines, retailers and utilities are set to seek more cost cuts to sustain profits and reassure investors in the absence of a strong economic recovery.

They will have to walk a fine line between making further savings and damaging their businesses by cutting too deeply, having already slashed expenditure during the downturn last year.