Calogena Grant

French nuclear startup Calogena has secured a €40 million ($43.2 million) grant from the European Commission’s Innovation Fund, marking the first time EU funding has been awarded to a small modular reactor (SMR) for the direct construction of a commercial facility. The award follows over €50 million previously secured under the France 2030 program by the startup, a subsidiary of Paris-based Groupe Gorgé, which employs approximately 3,500 people and generates €600 million in revenue. Calogena will use the funding to construct its first commercial 30-thermal-megawatt reactor in Pierrelatte to heat roughly 20,000 households, while accelerating international expansion that includes a pipeline of more than 15 reactors in Finland and a partnership with Veolia across Central and Eastern Europe.