There was a certain Gallic swagger to EDF’s conviction that its takeover of British Energy would be waved through by regulators.

The French group’s hopes of avoiding a full-blown competition inquiry now hinge on three weeks of horse-trading in Brussels.

Given the existing concern about the level of consolidation in the UK power sector, it is right that this deal is properly scrutinised. While the construction of new nuclear stations on old British Energy sites will be vital for the UK’s future energy security — something that the Government has been keen to emphasise — protecting the interests of consumers is important, too.

There is no shortage of critics warning of the threat to competition from the creation of a new, vertically integrated giant in the British power industry. By all accounts, the submissions from some of EDF’s rivals make lively reading. Nevertheless, there should be ways around the potential problems without stopping the deal in its tracks.

Forcing EDF to auction some of its output, sell sites and adhere to measures that would improve transparency in the wider wholesale power market would minimise the effect on competition.

Such concessions would be strongly resisted by EDF. But it wants this deal as much as the Government.

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