PARIS, July 19 Reuters France39;s government is offering to pay 9.7 billion euros 9.85 billion to take full control of EDF, in a buyout deal that gives it a free hand to run Europe39;s biggest nuclear power operator as it grapples with a continentwide energy crisis.

The finance ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the government would offer EDF39;s minority shareholders 12 euros per share, a 53 premium to the closing price on July 5, the day before the government announced its intention to fully nationalise the debtladen group.

EDF shares, which resumed trading on Tuesday after a oneweek suspension pending details of the government buyout plan, had jumped 15 to 11.80 euros by 0836 GMT.

The state already owns 84 of EDF, which has been dogged by unplanned outages at its nuclear fleet, delays and cost overruns in building new reactors, and power tariff caps imposed by the government to shield households from soaring electricity prices.

The war in Ukraine has deepened the crisis at the group, forcing it to buy electricity on the market at historically high prices and sell it at cheaper levels to its competitors.

France has said EDF39;s nationalisation will increase the security of its energy reserves as Europe scrambles to find alternatives to Russian gas supplies.

Rising prices have squeezed energy suppliers across Europe, and earlier this month Germany moved to bail out Uniper, its biggest importer of Russian gas.

France, which would normally be exporting…