French nuclear startup Calogena has secured a €40 million grant from the European Commission's Innovation Fund. The company designs small modular reactors that provide low-carbon heat to district heating networks. The funding marks the first European grant for an SMR intended to directly build a commercial facility.
Funding so far
The award follows more than €50 million from France 2030. That earlier support helped Calogena develop and bring its technology to industrial readiness. The new grant will fund construction of its first commercial reactor in Pierrelatte.
Company context
Calogena was founded in 2021 as a subsidiary of Groupe Gorgé. The Paris industrial group employs around 3,500 people and reports about €600 million in revenue. The startup is in contention to supply more than fifteen reactors in Finland and opened a subsidiary there in 2025.
Reactor details
Its water-cooled SMR has a capacity of 30 thermal megawatts. The design operates at around 100°C and 6 bar of pressure. Each module can heat about 20,000 households and requires refueling once every two years.
The Pierrelatte reactor is scheduled to go live in 2032. Calogena targets initial deployments from 2030. It also signed a cooperation agreement with Veolia in June to explore projects in Central and Eastern Europe.