translated from the daily-bourse.fr - this one is a bit older,...

translated from the daily-bourse.fr - this one is a bit older, but the french minister for the economy is defending the sale to epg
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Christine Lagarde defended the sale of Gazonor to an Australian group On 10/10/2007 at 18:27

The Minister for the Economy Christine Lagarde defended the deputies Wednesday before the sale of the company Gazonor owned by Charbonnages de France, the European group Australian Gas Limited (EGL).

The Charbonnages de France, which should be dissolved at the end of the year, appealed to apply for the sale of the company, to operate the gas from old mines in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, "firedamp".

"Two objectives are planned by the government as part of the sale of the company Gazonor: maintain the gas extraction mining and energy supply, and maintaining a sustainable activity in a pool of emploi du Nord-Pas de Calais but it needs a revitalized the industry, "said the minister in the National Assembly.

She replied to a question by Mr PS du Pas-de-Calais, Jean-Pierre Kucheida.

"The direction of Charbonnages de France assured me that the company EGL, an Australian company, was truly a business plan for Gazonor after a situation calling for competition fully transparent under which EGL was the most powerful The best bid in financial terms and in terms of industrial, "said Ms. Lagarde.

EGL that "already in Europe of operating licences in the mining sector" has "an investment plan for twenty years (...) to continue the business of extracting gas from mine. Therefore, we every reason to believe that this investment is perennial, "she added.

Kucheida, also president of the Mining Association of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, "the mining area, which has experienced all misfortunes, can not imagine that (the) government could allow" this operation.

Kucheida and other elected officials, had shown mid-September to Avion (Pas-de-Calais) to denounce the assignment.

"The risk, first, is that the Security Council (for the residents, ndlr) is not well maintained," explained Mr. Kucheida à l'AFP. Kucheida to AFP.

According to the MP, the assignment is also pose a risk on a local company, SAV, which employs 150 people at Mazingarbe (Pas-de-Calais), because "the gas will be supplied more under the same conditions."

These elected officials do not understand the choice of Charbonnages de France while a regional project combining Dalkia (a subsidiary of Veolia Environnement and EDF), Financial Nord-Pas-de-Calais and societies of social housing considered it to be a " offers comparable. "

This project plans to offer the gas at a price identical to the current price to regional businesses and at a lower price by approximately 20% compared to the market for families precarious.