GDF Suez SA (GSZ.FR) is looking at opportunities to take part in Italy's nuclear comeback as the French company aims to be among the main energy players in the country, said Chief Executive Gerard Mestrallet Wednesday.

"We are looking carefully at the opportunities in Italian nuclear" after the government decided to allow atomic power generation back into the country, said the CEO at a press conference in Rome on the joining of GDF Suez's companies Cofathec Servizi and Elyo Italia under the energy services brand Cofely.

GDF Suez is "studying" the nuclear market. The French company "aims to become one of the top energy operators" as it plans to expand its electricity and natural gas presence in Italy, added the CEO.

It's medium-, long-term objective is to become Italy's No. 2 player in the gas market and the third-biggest in the electricity one, the company said.

GDF Suez will enter the Italian nuclear market only with a local player and is open to a European company joining too, including E.ON AG (EAON.XE) and Iberdrola SA (IBE.MC), said CEO Mestrallet at the conference.

It has a joint venture with Rome-based municipal utility Acea SpA (ACE.MI).

GDF Suez also said it is planning to build a 100%-owned offshore liquefied natural gas receiving terminal with an annual capacity of 5 billion cubic meters on the Adriatic Sea, near Porto Recanati. No timeframe was given for when it will be built.

"We have flexibility" to chose from the company's "vast" origin of its gas supplies for the LNG terminal, said Mestrallet when asked where the fossil fuel will come from.

The CEO didn't give the amount the company plans to invest in Italy in coming years.

-By Liam Moloney, Dow Jones Newswires; 39 06 6976 6920; djitaly@dowjones.com
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