WNA - France derives about 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy, due to a long-standing policy based on energy security. This share may be reduced to 50% by 2025. France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over €3 billion per year from this. The country has been very active in developing nuclear technology. Reactors and especially fuel products and services have been a significant export. About 17% of France's electricity is from recycled nuclear fuel.

WNN - Cooperation on nuclear power technology is to be expanded between China General Nuclear (CGN) and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) under an agreement signed yesterday in Beijing. New Areva and China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) have also agreed to work towards signing a contract for the construction of a used fuel processing and recycling facility in China.

WNN - Construction of the Iter fusion reactor, being built at Cadarache in the south of France, is now 50% complete, the Iter Organisation has announced. The reactor - construction of which began in 2010 - is scheduled to achieve first plasma in 2025.

"It is worth taking the risk at $1 billion because it opens a huge market. We are perfectly conscious of some risks. We have taken into account (sanctions) snap-backs, we have to take into account regulation changes," Pouyanne said in an interview.

The upward trend continues: from January through May 2017 Russian gas deliveries to France added 8.8 per cent compared to the same period of 2016.

From January 1 to September 13, 2016, Gazprom supplied 8 billion cubic meters of gas to France, which was 27.3 per cent higher than in the same period of 2015.

Total E&P Russie, a 100% affiliate of Total group, has transferred a 20% participating interest in and the operatorship of the Production Sharing Agreement for the Development and Production of Oil in the Kharyaga Field (Kharyaga PSA) to Zarubezhneft-Production Kharyaga LLC, a subsidiary of Zarubezhneft JSC.

France’s energy and environment minister Segolene Royal wants to find a “legal way” to prevent the import of non-conventional US LNG.

The biggest increase was seen in the consumption of gas-to-power by industrial customers, which increased by 161% to reach a total of 10.8% of overall consumption. The transmission operator attributes the increase in industrial demand to "favourable economic conditions."

France has confirmed its interest in the Nord Stream-2 project, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters.