Otrera New Energy has been selected for the 2026 cohort of the French Tech 2030 program, whose winners were announced on October 16, 2026, by the French Tech Mission. The selection brings together emerging companies developing technologies deemed a priority for France. For Otrera, this marks both a recognition of its achievements and the start of a year of collaboration with the government.
Launched in 2023 as part of the France 2030 plan, the program primarily supports deep-tech companies. For twelve months, each recipient receives individual and collective support from the government and its partners on issues critical to its development: financing, industrial setup, public procurement, intellectual property, and international expansion.
Recognition for the French sodium industry
This selection recognizes the work carried out by Otrera on its sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor (RNR-Na). As a reactor designer and systems integrator, Otrera is developing a fourth-generation modular reactor capable of producing low-carbon electricity and heat. Its technology also makes it possible to utilize nuclear materials from the existing fleet, drawing on decades of expertise from the French sodium industry.
[Photo by Frédéric Varaine]
Caption: Frédéric Varaine, President and Founder of Otrera New Energy
“Joining French Tech 2030 is recognition of the work done by the entire team to revitalize the French sodium industry. This support comes at just the right time, as Otrera scales up to industrial production.”
A milestone in industrial development
2026 will have been an eventful year for Otrera. In the spring, the announcement of a plant and a technology hub in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin gave the project a concrete industrial location. A few weeks later, a €17 million funding round—marked by EDF’s acquisition of a stake in the company—launched the Detailed Preliminary Design phase for the reactor.
French Tech 2030 builds on this momentum. This support is intended to help Otrera take its next steps—from the industrialization of its components to the maturation of its technology—while giving it access to the Mission French Tech’s networks, both in France and internationally.
