French firm EDF ups stake in British Energy to 89 pct

French electricity giant EDF has said it now holds nearly 89 percent of British Energy, Britain's nuclear operator, and it will extend its offer to secure the remaining shares soon.

EDF said that by the scheduled close of its 15.6 billion euro ($20 billion) offer on December 5, it held 88.67 percent of British Energy's shares, including its original stake of 26.48 percent. "Acceptances for the offer are quite satisfactory," an EDF spokeswoman said.

In September, 2008 British Energy, which operates eight of the 10 nuclear power plants in Britain, accepted a slightly higher EDF offer after earlier rejecting its advances.

At the time, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed the deal as "a significant step towards the construction of a new generation of nuclear stations to power the country." The British energy sector has long been privatised and London wanted to divest its 35.2 percent stake in British Energy.

The French state in contrast owns around 85 percent of EDF, the world's biggest producer of nuclear energy.