Shares in nuclear operator British Energy gained more than 5 percent on Thursday after the BBC reported that it would shortly agree to be bought by French giant Electricite de France. The company, which has been in talks with EDF for months, could not immediately be reached for comment, but an industry source told Reuters that nothing had yet been resolved and the long-running talks were continuing. A separate industry source said it was hoped a deal would be struck shortly before or just after EDF's first-half results on Aug. 1, but that it could yet suffer further delays. EDF declined to comment. Shares in British Energy were up 5.7 percent at 726 pence by 1310 GMT, valuing the company at 11.6 billion pounds - above a previous EDF offer rejected by British Energy. The BBC reported a deal could go through at 12 billion pounds. Valuing the company has proven difficult due to the impact of a surge in power prices, although a recent correction may have made an agreement more likely. A source close to the discussions said last month that EDF had agreed with Centrica for the British Gas-owner to take a minority stake in the firm should a takeover be agreed. Centrica also declined to comment on Thursday. British Energy, 35 percent owned by the UK government, has attracted takeover interest since Britain gave the green light to new nuclear power stations in January.
