The owners of a massive gasfield off the Lancashire coast is to bid for the firm which runs two of the county's nuclear power stations.
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas which runs the Morecambe Bay gasfields, is reported to be finalising a joint venture with European energy giant EDF to buy British Energy, which runs the stations at Heysham.
It is believe the deal, subm
itted before yesterday's government-set deadline for bids, would see EDF that a 75% stake in the business with Centrica taking 25%.
Centrica announced yesterday that its operating profits for the first half of 2008 would be down because of hikes in wholesale prices and that it could pass the costs on to its customers.
An interim statement said: "While the current outlook for gas prices does create a challenging environment for energy suppliers, we will take the necessary action to deliver reasonable margins in the retail business."
It said the "high realiability" of the Morecambe Bay fields had been one of the firm's strongest assets despite "lower profitability" in its domestic gas business.
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