“Naarea has preferred to develop a size of nuclear reactors that allows it to go directly to companies”

The reconquest of nuclear power in France also involves young companies. Two of them have just been selected by the State to benefit from financing by the France 2030 plan. These start-ups intend to revolutionize the production of this type of energy. Naarea is one of the companies. Its CEO, Jean-Luc Alexandre, was the eco guest of franceinfo on Tuesday June 13, 2023.

franceinfo: Why now bet on small nuclear reactors?

Jean-Luc Alexandre: EPRs are needed and our French system is very resilient thanks to our armada of large reactors. On the other hand, today, if we look at the exposure of the demand for electricity in the next thirty years, and the needs for decarbonization, we must be able to decarbonize as close as possible to companies because it is the industrial processes that produce carbon dioxide. We preferred to develop a reactor size that allows us to go directly to companies that need it to decarbonize quickly. The second advantage is that you free yourself from the electricity transmission network.

Do these small modules ensure sustainable energy in the sense of the energy transition?

It is the fourth generation of reactors which was pushed by France many years ago with the Phoenix and Super Phoenix plans. We were the precursors. There are two countries that have mastered this technology very well today, which will make it possible to burn nuclear waste: France and Russia. Today we, the French, are capable of combining this technology with “molten salt” type technologies in order to finally be able to make very small reactors as close as possible to the end consumer, the industrialist.

What does being recognized by the France 2030 Plan bring you?

This validates the strategy we have put in place. Validate technology and strategic choices. And this will also come in support of all the private financing that we have managed to raise since the beginning and which finance our activity.

Can we only play French in this high precision sector?

Today, our American and Chinese friends are developing competing solutions but which do not have all the characteristics that we have. At European level, we will above all have to play hand in hand at the level of legislation. We must create a legislative ecosystem that allows these microreactors to be installed on sites that were not traditionally nuclear sites.