Dow Jones Newswires

October 2, 2003
Paris–Electricite de France (F.EDF) Thursday said it will re-commit to a EUR1.3 billion project to build a hydro-power plant in Laos.

“We are in a phase where we will come back to the project,” EdF Chairman Francois Roussely said at an earnings conference. EdF had made a decision to pull out of the Nam Theun project this summer under pressure from its shareholder – the French state – which thought the future profitability of the new dam was elusive. The French government
has reconsidered its position and could give EdF a green light in the coming days to participate in the Nam Theun dam, Roussely said. EdF holds a 35% stake in a joint venture, with Laotian and Thai interests, set up to carry out the project.