France-based nuclear start-up Naarea (Nuclear Abundant Affordable Resourceful Energy for All) has announced a strategic partnership with global energy management platform provider QGEMS. Naarea says the collaboration aims to integrate QGEMS’s advanced energy management system to optimise Naarea’s energy production and distribution (both electricity and heat), set to commence in 2025, while also extending its applications to data & AI centres, commercial properties, industrial facilities and remote territories.
Naarea, founded in 2020 by Jean-Luc Alexandre and Ivan Gavriloff, is developing the XAMR (eXtrasmall Advanced Modular Reactor), a molten salt fast neutron micro-generator (40MWe or 80MWt). The company has received support from the French Alternative Energies & Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and CNRS, as well as industry players such as Assystem, Dassault Systèmes, Orano and Framatome.
The partnership marks a significant step in NAAREA’s mission to revolutionize the clean energy landscape. By leveraging QGEMS’ cutting-edge platform, Naarea will enhance the efficiency and reliability of its energy operations, ensuring seamless integration into the broader energy grid and various sectors.
“As we prepare to bring our energy production online, partnering with QGEMS was a natural choice,” said Jean-Luc Alexandre, CEO of Naarea. “Their expertise in energy management aligns perfectly with our goal of delivering clean, reliable energy solutions across multiple industries. This collaboration will allow us to optimise our energy production and distribution, maximising the impact of our technology.”
QGEMS CEO Gordon Winston said: “Our energy management platform is designed to handle the complexities of emerging energy sources such as hydrogen and optimise energy use across various sectors. This collaboration showcases the potential of combining innovative nuclear technology with advanced energy management systems to drive efficiency and sustainability across industries. This, combined with our growing project financing capabilities, will accelerate the integration, aggregation, and orchestration of distributed energy resources and intelligent Virtual Power Plant deployments.”
The integration of QGEMS’ platform is already underway, with full implementation expected to coincide with the launch of NAAREA’s energy supplying offer in 2025. This partnership is poised to set new standards in the clean energy sector, demonstrating the power of collaboration in addressing global energy challenges and optimising energy use across multiple industries.
The parties agreed to address, as a first step, the UK and US markets. These mature markets will enable NAAREA and QGEMS to reap the maximum benefit from this partnership. European markets will be addressed as a second step.
The XAMR microreactor is designed to be modular, allowing it to be installed in locations of varying configurations to best meet local energy needs. Naarea says small and factory-built microreactor units can be assembled on site, making them easy to install. The XAMR microreactor will be manufactured in series, which reduces construction and manufacturing costs per unit, as well as construction time. However, the XAMR is still in only the design stage.
In October 2024, Naarea and Assystem announced plans to establish a joint laboratory to support further development of a digital twin for the XAMR. The lab will evaluate, analyse and integrate all of the emerging technologies that could contribute to the deployment, optimisation and ongoing improvement of the XAMR digital twin.
According to Naarea’s website the company has established an ambitious timetable marked by three main phases: Mid-2023: finalisation of the first digital twin; 2027: commissioning of a prototype; and 2030: construction of a manufacturing facility and launch of series production.
