ARCHEOS: a heat reactor for industrial users
ARCHEOS is a light-water SMR that embodies the future of industrial nuclear power: safe, modular and carbon-free. ARCHEOS is designed to provide industrial heat of up to 150°C, with potential customer sites of up to 100 MW thermal. An ARCHEOS reactor requires a footprint of just 1 hectare and does not depend on external cooling sources, making it easy to integrate into a variety of industrial environments.
SMRs, a new generation of nuclear reactors
SMRs offer an industrialised and standardised approach to nuclear construction, breaking away from large nuclear power plants, ensuring better cost control and reduced uncertainty, while providing carbon-free electricity or heat for a variety of uses.
A variety of uses
SMRs not only supply electricity grids, but also factories, urban networks, hydrogen production and industrial steam, depending on requirements. Thanks to their modular design, it is possible to respond quickly to local decarbonisation needs.
Technological maturity
SMRs can provide carbon-free electricity or heat using proven technologies such as pressurised water reactors, which have been in use for decades.
A high-potential market
The SMR market could reach USD 70 to 120 billion per year by 2050, covering electricity generation and industrial heat in many countries, thereby meeting global decarbonisation targets.
The advantages of ARCHEOS
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Intrinsically safe and reliable
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Easily deployable on industrial sites
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Commissioning in the early 2030s
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No R&D required
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Competitive and stable pricing
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Technology well-known and proven in France for decades by EDF
A solution based on three key pillars
ARCHEOS is based on mature technology that has been proven over decades.
Technological maturity
ARCHEOS is a “calogene” reactor—a small light-water SMR with a target thermal capacity of 20 to 200 MWth. The reactor uses proven technology derived from pressurised water reactors, with conventional low-enriched fuel that is readily available and industrially proven. ARCHEOS is one of five SMR projects incubated within the CEA since 2022, as part of the “Innovative Nuclear Reactors” call for projects under the France 2030 plan. The project is based on registered patents, guaranteeing protected technology.
Intrinsic safety
ARCHEOS’s components make it a very safe solution: light-water architecture, low pressure, reduced power and no meltdown scenario. Operating at low pressure makes this type of reactor much safer than traditional reactors and simplifies safety.
Competitive energy
Installed as close as possible to the industrial site, ARCHEOS maximises thermal efficiency and reduces energy transport losses. This makes it a competitive solution to replace gas or coal-fired plants that still consume a lot of low/medium temperature thermal energy. In addition, this solution offers optimised modularity and industrialisation through a modular and standardised architecture, manufactured in the factory and assembled on site, reducing the costs and delays associated with traditional construction sites.
ARCHEOS manages the entire life cycle of an installation
ARCHEOS’s technology provides an integrated solution designed to last. The company covers the entire life cycle of an installation, from design to operation, including con maintenance, dismantling and equipment recovery. This comprehensive approach guarantees long-term performance, safety and traceability.
SMRs operational by 2030: rapid commissioning to accelerate the energy transition
With availability in 2030, ARCHEOS is a rapid solution to meet the immediate decarbonisation needs of industrial companies. The project is part of a realistic plan with the ambition of installing 10 ARCHEOS reactors in France by 2040.
