As the world scrambles to decarbonize energy systems and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, a French startup is betting on a different kind of nuclear reactor — one that is small, efficient, and runs on nuclear waste.
Founded in 2020 by Jean-Luc Alexandre and Ivan Gavriloff, NAAREA is developing the XAMR®, a molten salt microreactor designed to generate 40 megawatts of electricity and 80 megawatts of heat using spent fuel from conventional nuclear power plants.
Unlike large-scale nuclear facilities, these compact reactors are built for mass production and local deployment — at factories, data centers, and even remote communities — offering a potential breakthrough in how clean energy is delivered.
NAAREA’s concept could help address three major global energy challenges at once: reducing radioactive waste, decentralizing power generation, and lowering carbon emissions.
Turning spent fuel into power
Molten salt reactors aren’t a new idea, but NAAREA is among the few trying to make them small, fast-spectrum, and mass-producible.
The idea is to install reactors closer to energy-intensive industries rather than build centralized plants.
The company’s approach has attracted both attention and public support.
In 2024, NAAREA became the first French firm to win a government call for proposals under the France 2030 plan for “Innovative Nuclear Reactors.”
Unlike traditional designs, molten salt reactors dissolve nuclear material into liquid salt, operating at lower pressures and with built-in safety advantages.
NAAREA says its XAMR® can help reduce waste, cut costs, and decentralize energy production — all while recycling what would otherwise sit in storage for millennia.
NAAREA’s rise in the nuclear sector
Progress hasn’t just happened behind closed doors.
In July 2023, NAAREA completed the first stage of its reactor’s digital twin — a high-fidelity simulation model used to test and refine designs — and was later awarded the Grand Prix National de l’Ingénierie.
The company is now working closely with CNRS and Paris-Saclay University through a joint laboratory, IMS Lab, focusing on fuel salt chemistry, purification, and recycling.
NAAREA also opened a 2,400-square-meter industrial test site in February 2025 to prototype components and validate its digital systems.
At the same time, it’s in regular dialogue with France’s nuclear regulator.
In October 2024, NAAREA became the first French startup of its kind to present a technical seminar to the French Authority for Nuclear Safety (ASNR) and its advisory committee — a key step toward eventual licensing.
Forging partnerships to enter the market
The startup has signed nearly 30 MOUs with industrial players, hoping to install its reactors where the demand for heat and electricity is highest.
One of those is with Automotive Cells Company (ACC), which is exploring the microreactor’s potential for powering its battery gigafactories.
Another project with EO Concept, a subsidiary of Energy Observer, is studying how XAMR® could produce hydrogen and low-carbon fuels for maritime shipping.
Meanwhile, a partnership with Phoenix Manufacture is focused on the reactor’s industrialization — from prototype to mass production.
To date, NAAREA has raised €80 million from private investors and built a 240-person team drawn from across nuclear, aviation, and automotive sectors.
Internationally, it’s collaborating with institutions in the U.S., Germany, and the UK while participating in regulatory discussions at the IAEA and OECD Nuclear Energy Agency.
With global interest in advanced modular reactors heating up, NAAREA’s progress is being closely watched — not just as a technical achievement, but as a test case for whether a small French startup can turn nuclear waste into a local, stable source of clean energy.
