SMR: Calogena Submits Safety Option File to the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN)
Nuclear energy isn’t just about electricity—it also produces heat! This is precisely the ambition of Calogena, a startup aiming to decarbonise urban heating networks. The company has just submitted a Safety Option File (DOS) to the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).
Supported by the France 2030 programme, Calogena is developing a small modular reactor (SMR) for urban heating. The startup has reached a significant milestone by submitting a Safety Option File (DOS) to the ASN, as announced in a press release. This submission follows a preparatory review phase during which Calogena validated the maturity of its Cal-30 project, a 30 MWth reactor. “Regular exchanges with the ASN allowed Calogena to confirm the relevance of its technical choices and the technological readiness of the project, which draws inspiration from pool-type research reactors well known to safety authorities,” the company stated.
This step paves the way for a pre-assessment by the ASN, which will then prepare the application for a construction authorization (DAC), the final step before implementing the project. According to Calogena, the Cal-30 is based on a concept using proven technologies, readily available fuel, and targets the urban heating market in Northern and Eastern Europe, estimated at several tens of billions of euros. The Calogena reactor was presented during a Sfen webinar in a series dedicated to innovative reactors.
Two SMRs Under Review by the ASN
In two distinct phases, the concepts from Calogena and Jimmy Energy are currently being reviewed by the ASN. Jimmy Energy was the first to submit a construction authorization (DAC) application for an SMR in France (without going through the DOS process as Calogena did). Their innovative industrial decarbonisation project in Marne features a high-temperature 10 MWth reactor designed for the Cristanol site (sugar production). Supported by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the project aims to replace gas burners with a nuclear reactor, significantly reducing industrial emissions.
Jimmy Energy also announced the construction of an industrial platform in Le Creusot to manufacture its reactors, with ambitious goals: commissioning planned for 2026 and an investment of €100 million for a facility expected to create around 300 jobs.
Meanwhile, the ASN closely monitors all innovative small reactor concepts in France and is prepared to support various project leaders. In February 2024, it presented its initial findings on the fifteen SMR projects currently underway in France. ■