See section 1.4.6.3 “Optimisation and trading: EDF Trading”.
See section 1.4.1.3.3 “EDF Renewables activity”.
See section 1.4.6.1.1 “Dalkia”.
For research and development, see section 1.5.1.5 “EDF R&D partnerships internationally”
Operating in nuclear energy in the United States since the 1950s, Framatome holds a large share of the market, involved in providing power to some 36 million American households. Its mission consists in ensuring the maintenance and modernisation of the American nuclear plants in operation and providing it with the fuel required and supporting the potential construction of new plants (also see section 1.4.1.1.4 “Nuclear generation activities: Framatome”).
In South America, the EDF group is present in the Brazilian and Chilean markets, and is extending its ambitions in certain countries in the region, in which it is prospecting for development opportunities.
Since April 2014, the Group has held 100% of EDF Norte Fluminense SA (EDF NF). EDF NF built and has operated, since the end of 2004, the Combined-Cycle Gas plant of Norte Fluminense, with installed capacity of 826MW, located in the region of Macaé, State of Rio de Janeiro. A 20-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 725MW is in place with Light, the distribution company for the city of Rio de Janeiro. EDF NF supplies the equivalent of almost 25% of the electricity energy consumed in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area (2,5 million of clients). The power plant’s generation in 2021 was 6.360GWh.
In addition, on 11 December 2014, through its subsidiary EDF Norte Fluminense, EDF acquired a 51% stake in Sinop Energia, responsible for building, maintaining and operating the Sinop hydropower plant. Located in Mato Grosso and 70km away from the city of Sinop, it has an extension of 342km2, built on the Teles Pires River. The plant began operations in 2019 with an installed capacity of 402MW supplying the equivalent of 50% of the State of Mato Grosso (1,6 million clients).
Since the reservoir was impounded, some fish mortality events have been observed in 2019 and 2020 downstream of the dam and are subject of in-depth studies by two groups of independent experts in France and Brazil. This phenomenon is rare but has occurred on other sites around the world, including in Brazil. As for Sinop, the experts have concluded, among other things, that the water quality in the reservoir is not to blame and that this phenomenon does not occur during normal operation of the plant but is essentially linked to the use of the spillways, which in particular generate gaseous supersaturation phenomena. The expert groups made several recommendations in 2020 that were implemented in 2021. They concern spillway operating procedures, the installation of probes to measure parameters in real time, particularly oxygen levels, and the implementation of fish barriers. There have not been any fish mortality events since these recommendations have been implemented.
In 2021 EDF NF signed a contract for the construction assistance, operation, and maintenance of the Marlim Azul CCG plant for a 10-year term.
In the renewable energy field, the EDF Renewables subsidiary has a portfolio of:
EDF is also present in Brazil via Edison, of which the 50%-held subsidiary Ibiritermo operates a CCGT of 226MW in the state of Minas Gerais.
Since 2013, EDF was jointly developing with its Chilean partner Andes Mining & Energy (AME) a gas to power project combining the design, construction, and operation of a CCGT-type power plant with a power output of around 600MW, a storage infrastructure and an LNG Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU).
Via its subsidiary EDF Chile, created in 2014 for this purpose, the Group has a 50% shareholding in the two project companies (GNL Penco and Central El Campesino – which was renamed GM Holdings), alongside BiobioGenera (50%) of which AME is the controlling shareholder.
The project nonetheless suffered a setback when the Chilean Supreme Court, in a decision on 30 January 2017, revoked the permit for the Penco Lirquen regasification terminal. The project was restructured in order to be able to supply the 4TWh per year, in accordance with the 20-year Power Purchase Agreement won in 2014. In particular, GM Holdings acquired in May 2018 ESSA, owner of a 750MW thermal generation asset.
In addition, on 30 September 2021, EDF and AME finalized the financing of Chile’s largest solar park with a capacity of 480MW.
EDF Renewables is also active in Chile via:
Since 2018, the Group is present in Peru via its subsidiary EDF Peru SAC which is prospecting for development opportunities and working on the predevelopment phase of power generation assets, especially from photovoltaic, hydraulic sources and gas.
Since 2020, the Group is present in Colombia via EDF Andes which is prospecting for development opportunities and working on the predevelopment phase of power generation assets, especially from hydraulic sources.
The EDF group’s activities in the Asia-Pacific region are focused on China and fast developing countries. The presence in the sectors of electricity generation, networks and services constitutes an industrial challenge for the Group. In nuclear power, in addition to the EPR project in Taishan, the Group is pursuing new innovative projects.
EDF’s objective is, thus, to maintain its competitive and technological advantages in the international arena focused on the global nuclear programme and the perspective of the French fleet renewal.
EDF group has had operations in China for over 35 years, and is now one of the largest foreign investors in electricity generation and energy services. EDF operates around 3.4GW of net installed capacity (2), in particular via stakes in the Taishan EPR power plant, the Dongtai IV and V offshore wind farms, coal-fired thermal power plants and operation of heating and cooling networks.
48% of electricity from EDF’s assets in China was CO2-free in 2021, higher than the Chinese national average.
The EDF group has been developing partnerships with leading Chinese electric energy companies, which open up new prospects for investment in the nuclear industry, renewable energies, energy services and engineering.
Please see section 2.2.4 “Operational performance related risks” – Risk Factor 4A - “Management of large and complex industrial projects (including EPR projects)” and 4E - “Operational continuity of supply chains and contractual relationships”.
These sections detail the risks to which the Group is exposed in a context of deteriorating diplomatic and/or commercial relations between the countries involved in the projects in China.
(1) See EDF’s press release dated 9 August 2021: “EDF completes sale of its interest in CENG”.
(2) Share in the capacity corresponding to EDF’s stake.
