France, EU End EDF Dam Dispute With New Authorization Regime

France and the European Commission have reached a compromise that replaces the long-standing concession system governing EDF’s hydropower dams with an authorization regime, the French prime minister’s office said. The agreement ends a two-decade standoff over whether EDF’s dominant position in the sector violated EU competition rules. Under the deal, EDF will make six gigawatts of hydropower capacity available to external suppliers. The energy will be sold as virtual capacity in competitive auctions overseen by France’s Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), widening market access while allowing the state-controlled utility to retain ownership and operation of the dams.