Speculation was today mounting that state-owned energy group Electricite de France was poised to snap up UK electricity supplier Seeboard.
It is believed a deal would value Seeboard, owned by American Electric Power, at between £1.3 billion and £1.5 billion.
The takeover would also ramp up EDF's UK coverage as the French group already owns London Electricity and the supply arm of energy firm SWEB.
Crawley-based Seeboard, which has more than 3,000 staff, supplies customers in the south east of England.
Its sale would be the latest in a series of global deals across the energy industry.
Seeboard was snapped up by AEP in 1996 and other notable deals include Eon's takeover of Powergen and the recently agreed merger between National Power and Lattice.
An announcement concerning EDF and Seeboard is expected later today.
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