GDF Suez
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This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch. |
GDF Suez S.A. is a French multinational electric utility company, headquartered in Paris and 36.7 owned by the French government. It has interests in the UK nuclear industry.
Contents
Background
In July 2008 the energy division of Suez merged with French state energy company Gaz de France, creating GDF Suez. In one fell swoop the merger created 'the world's fourth largest energy utility by market capitalization, behind Russia's Gazprom, France's EDF and Germany's E.ON. The combined revenues of Suez and Gaz de France were about $117 billion, with earnings of almost $8.85 billion'.[1]Suez Environment, the water and waste division is 35 per cent part owned by GDF Suez, as such there is quite an overlap on the board of Suez Environment from that of GDF Suez.[2] Elyo Suez is a subsidiary company.
Nuclear interests
GDF Suez is a partner in the UK nuclear energy consortium NuGen, which is developing plans to build a new nuclear power station in West Cumbria near Sellafield.
UK lobbying
GDF Suez appears to be a heavyweight player in the UK, with periodic meetings with ministers to discuss key policies such as electricity market reform (EMR) and what the Government describes generically in its not so transparent 'transparency disclosures' as 'energy and climate change issues.
Ministerial meetings
In November 2010 GDF Suez met with Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to discuss electricity market reform, along with Independent Generators' Group, International Power, DONG UK, Eggborough Power Ltd, Draw Power Ltd, Intergen, and ConocoPhillips.
In May 2011 GDF Suez met with Justine Greening Economic Secretary to the Treasury and James Sassoon, Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, to discuss energy issues. A month later in June 2011, the company met with Charles Hendry, Minister of State in the Department of Energy and Climate Change for a discussion on energy policy. [3]
In May 2013 GDF was one of 18 energy firms and organisations at an 'Energy Leaders Forum' dinner attended by Energy Secretary Ed Davey 'to discuss energy and climate change issues'. Other attendees included Drax Power, Scottish Power, E.ON, Good Energy, Energy UK, ESB, Phillips 66 Trading Ltd, RWE nPower, Eggborough Power, SSE, Intergen, EdF, Centrica, National Grid, RES, Smartest Energy, First Utility. [4]
In June 2013 GDF also met with Ed Davey as part of the Independent Generators Group (ESB, Drax, Phillips 66, Eggborough Power, GDF-Suez, Intergen and DONG), 'to discuss energy and climate change issues' according to DECC's ministerial disclosures. [4]
Lobbying firms
- Weber Shandwick listed GDF Suez as a client until November 2012 [5] and most recently for the period June - August 2013 [6]
- Brevia Consulting listed GDF Suez Energy International as a client from September to November 2012. [7], from 1 November 2013 - 28 February 2014 [8] and from 1 December 2014 - 28 February 2015. [9]
Joins the fracking rush
In October 2013 GDF Suez formed a joint venture with Dart Energy to drill up to 14 wells in Lancashire and Wales in the UK exploring for both coal bed methane (CBM) — gas strapped in underground coal seams — and for shale gas. It is due to start in December 2013. It was accused of hypocrisy given that fracking is banned in France. [10]
Affiliations
- Task Force on Shale Gas (UK) - listed as a funder of this 'independent' group set up in October 2014, whose secretariat is the lobbying and PR company Edelman
- Energy Leaders Forum
Notes
- ↑ Chris Eales, Alan Kovski, 'New French energy giant GDF Suez officially launched following merger of GDF and Suez', Global Power Report (July 24 2008)
- ↑ Give ref and note which people overlap?
- ↑ GDF Suez , Who's Lobbying, undated, acc 21 June 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 DECC, QUARTERLY INFORMATION 1 Apr – 30 Jun 2013 Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Rt Hon Edward Davey MP
- ↑ APPC Register Entry for 1 Sep 2012 to 30 Nov 2012, APPC Register Entry for 1 Jun 2012 to 31 Aug 2012
- ↑ APPC Current Register 1st June 2013 - 31st August 2013, acc 12 November 2013
- ↑ APPC Register Entry for 1 Sep 2012 to 30 Nov 2012
- ↑ UKPAC Register Period 1 November 2013 - 28 February 2014
- ↑ APPC Register for 1st December 2014 - 28th February 2015
- ↑ Tim Webb and Ben Webster, French energy group joins the UK rush to get fracking, The Times, Last updated at 12:01AM, October 23 2013, acc 24 October 2013
