Now perhaps the government will begin to invest seriously in micro-generation. Time is running out before the lights go out.

sheila, Leicester,

Holding our for a few more pieces of silver for the eventual betaryal of the national interest does not impress. What these shareholders should do is demand a British solution with British ownership. Anything else would have been unthinkable not long ago. Now it is "How may we help you, EU friends?"

D.L. Stephens, York, England

At the moment France supplies 20% of our electricity (nuclear power) and we are most grateful. They can turn it off when they feel like it, so watch out his winter. Britain shouldn't be thinking of building a new nuclear power station, they should be buildin 12 right now, why wait?

m wilson, bidache, france

What are the chances that the government will offer to buy out the dissnting shareholders ?

CHARLES, EXETER, U.K.

I echo Jerry.The price of electricity from EDF for our home in France has risen by 1.15% in the last year.Over the same period,electricity from the same supplier has risen by 7x this amount for our home in the UK.Why is a foreign state owned country providing our electricity anyway?

Andrew, Bristol, UK

We should decommission our nuclear submarines and use their reactors for peaceful electricity production.

Colin Soames, London,

I think Rolls Royce should make out nuclear plants --- they've already been building them for decades. And as Labour has reduced the Astute submarine programme from 8 to 6, they should be offered the opportunity.
...and they are British.

Phil, Preston,

Why anyone in the UK would want the French tax payer to own our Nuclear power stations beggars believe! The government should start playing the EU game properly and sate that this is illegal as EDF is not a fully private company.

Will, Southampton,

Nuclear power is dangerous! Chernobyl ? Don't think it is impossible for it to happen here! Also ,Three Mile Island,Windscale & more.The French are having contamination problems and we are about to let them take over here! A major rethink is necessary in the way we use energy .

gerry, merseyside, uk

For years now governments of every political persuation have let this country down by letting our engineering base fritter away and becoming more and more dependent on foreign companies to provide expertise.

Rodney Moore, Preston,

Expect massive power cuts - the French were our only hope of keeping the lights on.
We do not have the expertise top build power stations, aside from the total disarray of our licensing and decision making processes.

David Martin, Bristol,

We had our chance but allowed all the anti nuclear protestors to dictate our energy policy helped by gutless politicians and loony environmentalists,we will reap the cost of our lack of foresight.The french being far more pragmatic turned out standard nuclear plants like volkswagens!

Cliff Thompson, Barking, England

Again the fact EDF is 85% owned by the French goverment demostrates that they take energy a lot more serious than the UK goverment.We leave buisness and domestic customers to fight it out on price in the open market while the rest of Europe has a protected price.Should they be like us?

william, portsmouth,

I have a house in France, and EDF supply my electricity. In March 2005 the cost of a kWh was €0.0765 (0.61p). On my July bill the cost is €0.0787 (0.63p) - a percentage increase of less than 3% over 3 years. The problem is not EDF, but the whole structure in the UK.

Jerry, Southampton, England

There's no doubt about Nuclear energy in Scotland - the government there has said there won't be any.
This is an English problem, not a British.

John, London, England

and our B-loved mr berluskony told, to the entire world, just a couple of weeks ago: 'let's make 1.000 brand new nuclear power plants all over the planete'.
what I call....Timing....

edoardo chioni, Rome, ITALY

Yes open the Coal mines, nationalise energy, kick start an immmediate programme to train Nuclear scientists, bring the old ones out of the pub, pay them a shed load, get the things built. But never ever sell you basic energy or water to a foreign power. Windfall tax the ones making a mint now .

John , Wolverhampton,

Why is ownership of BE being confused with building nuclear power stations. Put the new power stations out to bid like any other project. There is nuclear expertise in the US and Japan as well as France - and these are all foreign countries, EU or no EU.

jon livesey, Sunnyvale, CA/USA

If this short-sighted government had not allowed Westinghouse (the nuclear reactor manufacturer once owned by BNFL) to be sold off, then we might have the capability to do something ourselves for a change! The government is only interested in the money to prop up its ailing finances.

Steven Ramsay, Knottingley, U.K.

I live in Italy where VODAFONE is one of the major telephone companies and RYANAIR is probably the major low-cost airline. British and Irish should stop saying that the EU is only helping other countries to invest in Britain and not vice-versa.

Horace, Florence, Tuscany, Italy, EU

This is not the first time an anglo-french nuclear agreement has collapsed. It happened before in 1974 when Wedgie-Benn chose the dreaded AGR against a GEGB-Framatome deal to build PWRs.
France is now a world leader with the PWR.

More coal seems likely, with a 'carbon-capture' dodgy promise!

John Gregory Flinn, Béalencourt, France

Oh well, with a bit of luck they'll be a lot of out of work Iranian nuclear technicians soon.

Ned Gibbons, Stroud,

EDF haven't they just increased the price of GAS and ELECTRICITY? Labour is partially responsible the price hikes we are seeing, they should zero rate VAT on all fuel.

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

The Gov't goes along with everything in the EU, whilst others don't.
Why not more hard-nosed business attitude as in in the private sector?
The UK gov'ts always accept pressure - but we won't mention the Saudi arms deal, will we?

Padraig, Perth, Australia

France is not a foreign country, at least no more foreign than Wales or Scotland. France is a neighbour and part of the Union.

We are lucky to have France as a partner in this venture as in many grand projects, because France believes in R&D and is prepared to invest in industry.

../

Peter GODDARD, Le Rouret, France, EU

EdF are currently buying large tracts of land adjacent to Wylfa nuclear power station (a site owned by the UK government not British Energy) - and they paying hugely above the going rate for the priviledge. So perhaps Wylfa will become the first of the next generation UK nuclear power stations?

Mike Griffiths, Anglesey, UK

The French Government will 'not allow' any majority foreign ownership of any of it's 'National' industries, whether it be major banks, utilities or industrial. This is contrary to the rules of the EU on free trade. But, as usual, the French only obey the rules when it suites them. Leave the EU now.

paul, birmingham, uk

We should use renewable energy where possible. It has shown to be quite feasible to grow and harvest crops; to use wind, wave, tidal and solar energy. Old housing should be slowly knocked down; replaced with detached solar gain housing. We don't need nuclear facillities!

John Clarkson, Camborne, Cornwall

I too am glad that EDF have pulled out- they already have us over a barrel with electricity costs. How can our government even consider foreign ownership. In the event of future shortages they would direct the power through the interconnector cable back to France.
Jean, Oundle

Jean Crookes, Oundle, Northants

Are British companies allowed to invest and own any major French or German power generator? I think not, a one sided free trade agreement brought to you by the EU.

Ian Bryan, Reading, England

I'm glad EDF don't want the contract. It should be Brtish. Why has the country let it's engineers down consistently? Invest in British engineers. Pay them a proper salary, encourage people to study sciences not media studies and other such rubbish. It's unbelievable we can't do it ourselves.

Chris, Banbury,

Our energy should be kept British anyway.

Matt, Naples, Italy

If every energy company makes £1Billion profit a year, it will take EDF 12 years to repay the money for buying British Energy. In the meantime expect vast energy rises every year from all these companies. They pay this money only to charge their customers to pay for it

emma, Brighton, uk

The French are taking the British public for a ride and subsidisng their own citizens with the exorbitant charges levied on us. Yesterday's massive hike would be nothing if the nuclear energy programme ended up in EDF's hands. Let's build or own and keep what we own!

Ian Dickson, Brighton, UK

Another example of where we once led the world in technology because of the short sighted anti nuclear lobby we are having to go cap in hand to the French and others to bail us out. We should develop our own expertise and not act like a non technical nation.

Brian Girling, Fareham, UK

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this. My initial reaction is one of relief that yet more of our utilities are not (yet) going to fall into foreign hands. Time to reopen the coal mines ????

Carol, Leicester, UK