Gaz de France

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Gaz de France
Type Public-Owned Company (Euronext: GAZ)
Founded 1946
Headquarters Paris, France
Key people Jean-François Cirelli (CEO)
Industry Energy Producer and Services Provider
Employees 53,100 (2005)
Slogan Une énergie durable entre nous (a durable energy between us)
Website www.gazdefrance.com

Gaz de France (GDF) is a French company which produces, transports and sells natural gas around the world and especially in France which is its main market, but also Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and other European countries.

Contents

[edit] GDF Main Customer Programs

  • GDF Dolcevita : for private consumers
  • GDF Provalys : for small businesses
  • GDF Energies Communes : For Governmental consumers (cities, regions)
  • GDF Energy : for big companies and corporations
  • GDF Cegibat : for Construction and building companies

[edit] History

Gaz de France was created with its sister company Électricité de France (EDF) in 1946 at the end of the 2nd World War by the French Government. Gaz de France is a French energy company specializing in the transmission and distribution of natural gas. GDF is still a public-owned company but it has recently bought some assets outside France because the Gas market will soon be opened to foreign competitors.

Since the opening up of Europe’s energy markets, Gaz de France has also been present in the electricity market, having developed combined natural gas-electricity offerings.

EDF and Gaz de France are now two totally separate entities. Each of them controls a distribution subsidiary, which is responsible for running its distribution system. For Gaz de France, this is the Gaz de France Distributor. Together, these two distributors manage a joint department, “EDF Gaz de France Distribution” formerly called “EDF GDF SERVICES”, which is responsible for field-based activities (meter reading, activating connections, engineering work, etc.).

The company's capital has been partially opened to public investors in July 2005 at 30% of the capital. The initial Stock price has been fixed at €23.40 per shares at the beginning of the trading session.

[edit] Merger with SUEZ

On February 25, 2006, French Prime minister Dominique de Villepin announced the merger of Suez and GDF, which would make the first world liquefied natural gas company[1]. However, since the French state owns 80.2% of Gaz de France, a new law would have to be passed in order to make the merger possible.

On 3 September 2007, Gaz de France and SUEZ announced agreed terms of merger. The merger would be on the basis of an exchange of 21 Gaz de France shares for 22 Suez shares via the absorption of Suez by Gaz de France. The French state would hold more than 35% of shares of the merged company, GDF Suez.[2]

Whilst Nicolas Sarkozy was for several months opposed to the Villepin government’s plans for a merger of the two companies, he subsequently accepted the government proposal. This plan for a merger between Gaz de France and Suez came under fire from the whole of the political left, which feared the loss of one of the last ways of preventing the price rises experienced over the previous three years, and by the social Gaullists.

Law No. 2006-1537 of December 7, 2006 on the energy sector [6] authorised the privatisation of Gaz de France. On September 2, 2007, the boards of directors of Gaz de France and SUEZ approved the new framework for the planned merger between SUEZ and Gaz de France (Gaz de France-Suez merger plan) which is set to become a reality in the course of 2008.


[edit] Heads of the Company

Robert Hirsch: 1970-1975

Pierre Alby: 1979-1986

Jacques Fournier: 1986-1988

Françis Gutmann: 1988-1993

Loïk Le Floch-Prigent: 1993-1996

Pierre Gadonneix: 1996-2004

Jean-François Cirelli: since 2004

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3234,36-745348,0.html (subscription)
  2. ^ "Suez, Gaz De France Agree To New Merger Deal", RTT News, 2007-09-04. Retrieved on 2007-09-04. 

[edit] External links


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