General Electric, seeking state approval for its US$17 billion bid to buy Alstom's energy division, will keep the French power equipment maker's nuclear operations in its home country.
"We will answer the government's legitimate demands that the nuclear unit remain French, that intellectual property stay French and that exports be protected," said Clara Gaymard, the head of GE's business in France.
Gaymard's comments, which came after the United States manufacturer agreed to a French government request to extend the deadline for the planned Alstom purchase by three weeks, underlined GE chief executive Jeffrey Immelt's pledge to respect "the sovereign character" of France's nuclear industry.
GE is in early stage talks with state-controlled nuclear group Areva and other French companies about asset sales or partnerships, sources have said.
French President Francois Hollande and Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg have been vocal in calling on GE to improve its offer to buy Alstom. Hollande has said the bid is "not acceptable" and has called for stronger jobs guarantee, while Montebourg has publicly stated a preference for a proposal from Germany's Siemens.
Montebourg signed a decree this month giving the authorities the power to block some foreign takeovers, including in the energy industry. The offer from Siemens would swap most of its train-making business for Alstom's energy assets, forming two leading European power and rail companies.