First SMR Construction Request in France Submitted by Jimmy

A significant milestone has been reached in the future of French nuclear power with the submission of the first request for the construction of a Small Modular Reactor (SMR). This initiative is led by Jimmy, which proposes a high-temperature reactor, with the first unit potentially helping to decarbonize the processes of the sugar producer Cristanol in Marne.

Launched in 2021 by the government, the France 2030 program aimed, among other things, to develop a sector for small modular reactors in France through financial and technical support. Just three years later, a real ecosystem has emerged, and already, the first company has submitted an application for the creation of an SMR on French soil.

Indeed, on April 29, 2024, the startup Jimmy announced it had filed a creation authorization request (DAC) with the Ministry of Ecological Transition, “for a thermal generator project.” This project specifically involves generating heat at the Cristanol industrial site in Bazancourt (Marne). The goal is to decarbonize the local industrial process of the European sugar producer Cristal Union.

10 MWth for 20 Years

“Designed by Jimmy, with a lifespan of 20 years, these generators are part of an energy mix that complements large and medium power nuclear reactors and renewable energy sources, which are sometimes unsuitable for demanding industrial processes,” explains the company Jimmy in a statement. The reactor will replace gas burners with a high-temperature nuclear reactor with a thermal output of 10 MW and a lifespan of 20 years.

The young company still has much work to do in setting up the initial components of its reactor. As with a power reactor, the creation authorization for a Basic Nuclear Facilities (Installations Nucléaires de Base, or INB) requires a lengthy preliminary review phase, which considers the entire lifecycle of the generator, from commissioning to final shutdown and dismantling, including any potential modifications to the installation.

Additionally, safety and security aspects will be examined by the responsible bodies, currently the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) and the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN). In the future, this will be the responsibility of the upcoming Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radioprotection (ASNR). Not to mention the essential environmental studies and public inquiries.

Factories in the Le Creusot Basin

Jimmy has already begun work to build its future generators. Last February, the company announced the location of its future industrial platform to manufacture and assemble its decarbonization solution, a high-temperature small nuclear reactor (High Temperature Reactor, or HTR).

The site will benefit from an investment of 100 million euros and, when fully operational, will create 300 jobs. Located in Le Creusot, a historic basin of metallurgy, the industrial platform will host in its first phase a storage and assembly workshop from 2025. The second part of the site, classified as a Basic Nuclear Installation (INB), will consist of a workshop for inserting fuel into the vessels, which will be commissioned in 2026, and a fuel preparation workshop operational by 2028.

This schedule will allow the delivery of the first unit to Jimmy’s first client by the end of 2026. The fuel supply for this first unit will follow a different pattern from subsequent ones, with the lead series paving the way towards industrialization. ■