France is designing the next generation of nuclear reactors — combining proven technology with small modular reactor innovation.

France is designing the next generation of nuclear reactors — combining proven technology with small modular reactor innovation.

France's nuclear industry — the most mature and extensive in the Western world — is not resting on its considerable achievements. While the existing fleet of 56 reactors provides the backbone of French electricity supply, a new generation of reactor concepts is being developed that will define French nuclear for the coming decades.

EDF's New Nuclear program has moved beyond Hinkley Point C to develop an optimized EPR2 — a simplified and cost-reduced evolution of the EPR design. The EPR2 eliminates some of the complexity that made EPR construction expensive and slow at Flamanville 3 and Hinkley, while retaining the passive safety features and high power output that make the EPR attractive. Six EPR2 reactors have been formally decided by the French government, with sites at Penly, Gravelines, and Bugey being prepared.

Simultaneously, France is developing Nuward — its small modular reactor concept — as a joint program between EDF, CEA, and TechnicAtome. The Nuward design draws on French naval propulsion reactor technology — adapted from the reactors that power France's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its submarine fleet — and targets a 170 MW power output per module with factory-built components.

France's nuclear ambition reflects a pragmatic recognition that meeting its 2050 net-zero target while maintaining electricity security requires both more nuclear and more renewables — not a choice between them.

EDF — Électricité de France — 2024

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