On Friday 3 July 2026, Jean-Éric Lucas, co-founder and Executive Vice President, Finance & Strategy at Otrera, was the guest of Jérôme Tichit on the set of “France has everything it takes to succeed”, the special programme on BFM Business broadcast live from the 25th Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence.
With this year’s theme “What bearings in an uncertain world?”, this anniversary edition of the Rencontres brought together, over three days (2, 3 and 4 July 2026), economists, executives, entrepreneurs and public decision-makers to discuss the major transitions under way. In partnership with La Tribune, BFM Business brought the event to life on air through a series of special programmes and meetings with French entrepreneurs building the industries of tomorrow.
Three entrepreneurs from the South around the table
Alongside Jean-Éric Lucas, the programme welcomed Mathias Fonlupt, founder and CEO of ENTENT, the Aix-based cleantech company that converts industrial waste heat into electricity, and Émilie Mercadal, co-founder and CEO of ROFIM, the Marseille-based medtech company and French leader in hospital telemedicine.
Three different paths, three industrial sectors, but one common point: driving from the South innovation projects with major stakes for the French economy, focused on industrial decarbonisation, access to healthcare and the production of dispatchable low-carbon energy.
Otrera, a piece of the French energy puzzle
On set, Jean-Éric Lucas looked back on Otrera’s story, its 4th-generation sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor (RNR-Na) technology and its target markets, spanning low-carbon electricity generation and meeting the growing energy needs of industry and major infrastructure.
He also detailed the company’s trajectory: the structuring of its investor round with leading industrial players now on the cap table, the next steps of the programme, and the choice of Manche and the Normandy Region for the future plant location, near Cherbourg.
In terms of figures, Jean-Éric Lucas recalled the €17 million fundraising announced in May 2026, mainly dedicated to R&D and the programme’s technology maturation, as well as the employment targets linked to Otrera’s development and its future industrial site.
An exclusive announcement
It was also on the BFM Business set that Jean-Éric Lucas delivered a new announcement: Otrera is preparing a new €50 million fundraising, planned for the end of 2026. This transaction will finance the continuation of advanced engineering studies and the acceleration of the plant project in Normandy.
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