High energy prices make companies both rich and greedy… In Western Europe, that boils down to acquisitions.

Last week, Electricite de France (EDF:Paris), who has been courting British Energy (BGY:London), announced it would not up its bid for the owner of most of the U.K.’s nuclear power plants. It was ready to announce an all-cash offer of $23.4 billion on Friday, but apparently, that offer is too low for the institutional investors holding large stakes in British Energy.

EDF isn’t going to let all that money sit around for long, though. With $54 bilion to spend on investments over the next two years, it’s already eyeing up other companies and developments.

Today, EDF increased its stake in Constellation Energy Group (CEG:NYSE) to 9.9%, up from 4.7%. And on Sunday, the company signed agreements to “invest in and operate two new-generation reactors in [China's] southern province of Guangdong.”

In fact, EDF is considering a number of countries and international developments for expansion. From South Africa to Qatar, EDF is looking for ways to secure both energy supplies and customers.

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