More interconnection crucial for the future of European energy, says EDF chief

Increased interconnection is key to improving the efficiency of European energy generation assets, EDF’s chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy has said.

Speaking at an industry conference in Paris, Levy set out the energy system features he believes will be essential to the European power sector as it seeks to meet the commitments of the COP 21 climate change agreement as well as other transformative forces.

“What I think we need to do more in Europe is, first, interconnection,” said Levy.

“I’d like to mention this because obviously, we are very French-based still and are at the heart of this western European area. We believe interconnection is key to improving the efficiency of all these huge assets that are built and operating in all these [European] countries.

Levy’s comments were made during a live interview with Jeff Immelt, chief executive of GE during which he also identified energy storage and algorithms for predictive asset management as the two most investible technology areas for the coming decade.

A brief reference was also made to EDF’s Hinkley Point C project, for which the final investment decision is still pending. Speaking about the diverse energy mix in Europe, Levy said: “In the UK, we are very much involved in bringing on new nuclear technology for the next 60 years – we are talking of building something which will operate from 2025-2085.”