BRITISH Energy said yesterday that its power output in the first half fell compared with the same period in 2007 because of repairs at two of its power stations, although it still met management forecasts.

The nuclear power generator, which has agreed to a £12.5bn takeover by the French state-owned power group EDF, said total output during the six months to September 28 was 22.7 terawatt hours (TWh), of which 19.2 TWh was nuclear- generated and 3.5 TWh came from the group's coal-fired Eggborough power station in Yorkshire.

That compared with 30.7 TWh in the same period last year, of which 27.8 TWh came from nuclear and 2.9 TWh from coal. British Energy owns and runs one coal-fired plant and Britain's eight nuclear power stations.

In August, British Energy attributed the fall in nuclear output against a year ago mainly to the ongoing impact of repairs to reactor cooling systems at its Hartlepool station in north-east England and its Heysham 1 reactor in north-west England. The company, which is based in East Kilbride, has said it expects the stations, which have been out of action since last autumn, to return to service some time between October and December.

Shares in British Energy rose in early trading but later fell back to close 8p cheaper at 742p - a loss on the day of about 1%.