France seeks to settle its hydroelectric dispute with the EU

PARIS, Jan 8 (Reuters): France is drafting a law to reform the country's hydroelectric infrastructure to try to resolve a long-standing dispute with the European Union and allow investment in new capacity, the office of Energy Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said on Monday.
The law would allow the government to bring the hydroelectric units into compliance with European law, but must first go through a public consultation and a parliamentary vote.
France has considered reforming the regulations concerning its hydroelectric units for several years, as Brussels has repeatedly said additional capacity should be conditional on competitive tenders to bring in new participants.
The government and state-owned EDF, which owns most of the hydro production, say until now EDF has been unable to carry out substantial modifications and improvements to its dams and hydraulic structures. EDF says it could develop several gigawatts (GW) of additional capacity.