Areva is planning a 5 billion euro (£4.39 billion) capital increase to restore its finances.

Areva Chairman Philippe Varin added on Thursday that the company was making progress in discussions with potential partners.

"The talks are progressing and they are progressing positively," Varin said on the sidelines of a conference in Paris.

(Reporting by Benjamin Mallet; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)