Carole Trivi, spokeswoman for Electricite de France, which made an earlier offer of $35 a share for Constellation Energy, says on the phone in response to a Financial Times story reporting that EDF and KKR are close to a new attempt to beat Warren Buffett's $26.50 bid for Constellation:

"We have no special comment about the FT story."

"We remain committed to opportunities in the U.S. nuclear industry. EDF is now reviewing all its options to increase the value of its investment in Constellation."

What about KKR? "We submitted a joint offer with KKR and TPG Capital" for Constellation, previously. "We are still studying different options... We are still in talks with KKR" regarding Constellation.

EDF owns nearly 10 percent of Contellation, the parent of BGE. From the FT story:

EDF is nearing a deal with private equity group KKR which it hopes could trump billionaire businessman Warren Buffett in his agreed $4.7bn takeover of Baltimore-based Constellation Energy.

Pierre Gadonneix, chief executive of the French electricity group, will meet KKR executives in the US this week to finalise details of a new assault on the company it had chosen as its bridgehead into North America, where it is looking to tap into the revival of civil nuclear power generation.