The government launched a buyout for the 16% stake it did not already own in EDF in late 2022, stumping up around 10 billion euros ($10.9 billion) to take full control of the debt-laden operator of Europe's largest fleet of nuclear power plants.

The buyout is part of President Emmanuel Macron's renewed bet on nuclear energy, which includes building at least six new reactors in coming years.

Here is a snapshot of its history:

* 1946: EDF is created from the nationalisation of dozens of power companies, as part of efforts to rebuild France's badly dented post-war economy. It has a monopoly.

* 1963: France's first nuclear plant is operational.

* 1973: France decides to invest massively in the nuclear sector in response to the global oil shock.

* 2005: France raises more than 6 billion euros when it partly privatises EDF at 32 euros per share, making it one of Europe's largest energy companies by market capitalisation. It remains 84% state-owned.

* 2007: Shares peak at more than twice their listing price.

* 2020-2021: "Project Hercules" plan for the overhaul of EDF is launched to tackle a series of problems, including rising debt and troubles at ageing reactors, but it gets bogged down in talks with unions and the European Commission.

* December 2021: EDF takes four reactors offline due to corrosion concerns. The number of reactors switched off increases over the following months.

* January 2022: Government tells EDF to sell more of its cheap nuclear power to smaller competitors to limit the increase of electricity prices in France.

* May 2022: EDF issues profit warning over reactor outages, as 12 of its 56 French reactors were offline and being inspected for stress corrosion.

* July 2022: About half of EDF's French nuclear reactors are now offline. Shares trade around 8-9 euros. The government says it will bring the company back under full state ownership and kicks off search for new CEO.

* July 19, 2022: The French government offers to pay 9.7 billion euros ($9.85 billion), or 12 euros per share, to take full control of the group.

* Sept 2022: President Emmanuel Macron proposes Luc Remont, a top executive at Schneider Electric, as the new chairman and CEO of EDF.

* February 2023: Remont vows to put EDF back on track after it slumped to a record net loss of 18 billion euros in 2022, and saw net debt rise to 64.5 billion euros.

* May 2023: A French appeals court rejects a complaint filed by minority shareholders against the terms of the government buyout, clearing the way for the full nationalisation of the company.

* June 8 2023: EDF is officially de-listed from the Paris stock exchange after nearly 18 years on the market.

($1 = 0.9872 euros)

(Writing by Silvia Aloisi;Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)