Otrera, a CEA spin-off developing a compact, modular sodium-cooled fast reactor, has closed a €17 million round combining private equity and France 2030 grants. EDF enters as a minority shareholder, alongside Normandie Participations and a group of industrial firms that represent the depth of the French nuclear supply chain: ADF, Ingerop, Fortil, Onet Technologies, REEL and SNEF. Exergon, which invested in Otrera’s first round, is reinvesting.
From concept to engineering maturity
The round moves Otrera into its detailed design phase. The capital will validate the core technology choices, grow the engineering, safety and industrialisation teams, and start the studies for a future plant in Normandy, near Cherbourg.
Why it matters
Otrera builds on decades of French fast-reactor experience, from Rapsodie and Phénix to ASTRID, while revisiting the original specifications for industrial deployment. Because fast reactors can run on recycled spent fuel, the design points to what the grid will need most: circular, sovereign and low-carbon baseload power and heat.
For Giuseppe Sangiovanni, Managing Partner, the founders combine rare expertise in sodium fast reactors with the financial discipline needed to carry a project of this scale. We are proud to stay on Otrera’s board for the next stage, with a further round of at least €40 million planned by the end of 2026.
