Italian engineering group Maire SpA (formerly Maire Tecnimont SpA) and its 60% subsidiary NextChem (Sustainable Technology Solutions) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EDF and its Nuward subsidiary during the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) in Paris. The MOU seeks to explore cooperation in the development and deployment of the Nuward small modular reactor (SMR) programme.
According to Maire, the MOU “aligns with Maire Group and NextChem’s strategic objective to collaborate with nuclear technology providers developing small and advanced modular nuclear technologies by delivering affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.” The initiative also leverages the capabilities, of its Maire’s sister company, Tecnimont, including project delivery expertise and modularisation, which optimises both construction and planning.
Maire said the collaboration “supports NextChem’s vision for its E-Factory for Low-Carbon Chemistry and Data Centres, promoting the integration of low-carbon energy sources into industrial processes and digital infrastructure to enable electrification and decarbonisation”.
NextChem recently launched NEXT-N, a joint venture with France-based nuclear start-up Newcleo, intended to develop new intellectual property for the conventional island, providing technical services for next-generation nuclear power plants.
“We are proud to partner with leading players to support the production of nuclear electrons through SMRs to develop efficient energy for the downstream industrial and digital needs, in line with our vision of the E-Factory,” said Nextchem Managing Director Fabio Fritelli. “Our goal is also to foster a highly qualified European supply chain which is essential to truly industrialise the new energy transition paradigm.”
In January, EDF’s Nuward subsidiary relaunched development of its SMR after announcing plans in 2024 to optimise the reactor design. According to Nuward’s original SMR roadmap, detailed design and formal application for a new nuclear facility was scheduled to begin in 2026 with first concrete in France planned for 2030. Construction of that first unit was expected to take three years. However, in July 2024 EDF said it planned to optimise the Nuward design focusing on existing and proven technologies to ensure project deadlines and budgets could be met. EDF then withdrew Nuward from Great British Nuclear’s SMR selection contest.
The Nuward project was a joint effort launched in September 2019 by France’s Atomic Energy Commission (CEA – Commissariat à l’énergie Atomique et aux énergies Alternatives), EDF, Naval Group and TechnicAtome. The Nuward design comprises a 340 MWe SMR plant with two 170 MWe pressurised water reactors (PWRs).
Nuward said in January that the studies conducted in recent months had been decisive: Nuward has “refined its SMR strategy to fully meet the expectations of the utilities and industry”. The Nuward SMR will deliver 400 MW of power and offer an option for cogeneration, up to approximately 100 MWt. It will rely on well-known and perfectly mastered technological building blocks within the nuclear sector to offer a safe product adapted to market needs. “The added value of Nuward will be based on simplicity, modularity and prefabrication with the aim of optimising competitiveness and construction times.”
The aim is to finalise the conceptual design of the reactor by mid-2026 and market a product for the 2030s, with a First-Of-A-Kind (FOAK) built in France. To initiate this new phase, Julien Garrel succeeded Renaud Crassous as Executive President of Nuward in January.
Garrel told Reuters on the sidelines of WNE that the Nuward SMR is suited to providing stable baseload power for industry. The first prototype is expected to be online in 2035, followed by one reactor a year until it has four in two countries, he said.
“We are confident to deliver electricity and heat at a competitive price, and that the market will have a need for us,” he noted. Financing is expected to come from the French government, industrial customers, banks and private investment funds.
The costs and conceptual design are set to coincide with EDF’s final investment decision on its fleet of six large-scale EPR2 reactors for its home market, which EDF plans to deliver by the second half of 2026.
