Gaz de France
 |
|
| Industry | Energy |
|---|---|
| Fate | Merger with Suez |
| Successor |
GDF Suez Suez Environnement |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Defunct | 22 July 2008 |
| Headquarters | 17th arrondissement, Paris, France |
|
Key people
|
Jean-François Cirelli (Chairman of the board and CEO) |
| Products | Natural gas production, sale and distribution, energy trading |
| Website | gazdefrance.com |
Gaz de France (GDF) was a French company which produced, transported and sold natural gas around the world, especially in France, its main market. The company was also particularly active in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other European countries. Through its part-owned Belgian subsidiary SPE it was also involved in nuclear power generation. The company conducted a merger of equals with fellow utility company Suez on 22 July 2008 to form GDF Suez. Its head office was located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris.
Gaz de France was created with its sister company Électricité de France (EDF) in 1946 by the French Government. After the liberalisation of Europe’s energy markets, Gaz de France also entered into the electricity sector, having developed combined natural gas-electricity offerings.
With part-privatisation EDF and Gaz de France latterly became two totally separate entities, with each controlling a distribution subsidiary responsible for running its distribution system. For Gaz de France, this was the Gaz de France Distributor. Together, these two distributors managed a joint department, “EDF Gaz de France Distribution” formerly called “EDF GDF Services, which was responsible for field-based activities (meter reading, activating connections, engineering work, etc.). In January 2008 EDF Gaz de France Distribution was split into two entities: ErDF (Électricité réseau distribution France), 100% owned by EDF, and GrDF (Gaz réseau distribution France), wholly owned by Gaz de France (and now by GDF Suez).
The company's capital was partially floated on the Paris Stock Exchange in July 2005, raising €2.5 billion for the State of France. The government continued to hold an approximate 80% stake in the company until the 2008 merger with Suez. The French state now holds approximately 35.7% of GDF Suez.
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Wikipedia