25/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Friends of the Supergrid has been joined by the French and British TSOs, RTE and the National Grid. The organisation was launched in March 2010 in an effort to support policies for building a European-wide electricity network. This week it was expanded to 4 new members, including the French transmission system operator RTE and the British National Grid, now bringing the number of members in the organisation to 17. Friends of the Supergrid would like to have a significant influence on European decision-makers in promoting construction of the European-wide electricity supergrid by 2015. Its proposals on devising, funding and regulating the first phase of the Supergrid project were published last December and can be consulted at: http://www.friendsofthesupergrid.eu . (E.H./transl.fl)