The project, led by industrial group Gorgé, is ahead of its French and European competitors.
Finland’s capital could be the first city in the world to opt for nuclear district heating. Helsinki has decided to shut down its gas-fired and biomass-fired power plants and replace them with new ones. small nuclear reactors (SMR) and thus reduce CO2. This 1.5 billion euro contract would involve some fifteen SMRs to supply 400 megawatts of heat to the world’s second largest district heating network.
The Group Gorgé, a French industrial nugget, sees a tremendous opportunity for its SMR project. Calogena. “ The Finns allow us to demonstrate that the market for which we develop our SMRs exists. “, stresses Raphaël Gorgé, head of the eponymous group, who points out that the amount of the tender ” would make any growing company dream “.
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Helsinki’s choice validates its positioning. As for the company’s technological choices, they have been hailed by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). After analyzing the twelve French SMR projects, it ranked Calogena first for the maturity of its technological options. Its reactors use the same technology as the EPRs and the same fuel, only smaller! Sized to meet the heat production needs of district heating networks.
Calogena also reached an important milestone last week, with the submission of a safety option file (DOS) to the French nuclear safety authority (ASN). This new milestone enables the company to meet its target of building its first reactor before 2030, either in France or in Finland. On the strength of this recognition and its progress, Calogena is now positioned “ as the standard-bearer for French SMRs “.