Wednesday, June 18, 2026, Frédéric Varaine, President and founder of Otrera New Energy, was the guest of Sandra Gandoin and Anthony Morel on the French Tech program on BFM Business. A morning discussion dedicated to the Otrera SMR and the industrial trajectory of the program.
The Otrera SMR on air
Throughout the interview, Frédéric Varaine discussed the core of the technology developed by Otrera: a 4th generation sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), designed for dispatchable, low-carbon, and modular energy.
He emphasized the promise of the Otrera SMR: to meet the growing energy needs of cities, regions, and industry, in a context where demand for low-carbon electricity continues to rise, driven particularly by the expansion of data centers and digital applications.
An industrial project accelerated by a €17M funding round
Behind the technology lies an industrial project taking shape. Frédéric Varaine discussed the recent €17 million funding round conducted with Groupe EDF and a consortium of leading industrial partners, as well as the trajectory that will lead Otrera to commission a first-of-a-kind by 2032.
A milestone that fits within the broader timeline of the revival of the French sodium sector, heir to several decades of national experience and now driven by a new generation of deeptech players.
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