TechnicAtome

In 2021, TechnicAtome continued to make real progress, building on the achievements of previous years.

Since the delivery of the first series of Barracuda SSN at the end of 2020, its steam supply system has fulfilled its operational promise, to the great satisfaction of the French Navy’s users. Tests of the steam supply system of the second submarine, the Duguay Trouin, were carried out in the autumn of 2021 and proved very satisfactory.

The two major and future nuclear propulsion programmes have entered new phases. Following President Macron’s announcement at the end of 2020, work on the preliminary design of the two propulsion reactors of the next aircraft carrier began in early 2021 and the SNLE 3G programme entered the production phase in February. We have worked closely with our partners Naval Group and Chantiers de l’Atlantique on the aircraft carrier.

In 2021, the Cadarache experimental reactor obtained authorisation to operate at full power and, at the end of the year, the irradiation of its first core was completed. The reactor will be shut down next year for maintenance and core replacement.

2021 saw a renewed national debate about the civil nuclear power of the future, with the French electricity transmission system operator’s scenarios for electricity supply leaving little doubt about the need to make significant progress. TechnicAtome will play a key role in this, as the designer of the nuclear steam supply system for Nuward, the French small modular reactor programme. The preliminary design process is underway and will be completed within a year.

In 2021, TechnicAtome identified a purpose which helps to clarify its vocation: “mastering nuclear energy technologies in the long term for the purposes of French deterrence and influence”.

Lastly, 2021 was a year of strong organic growth to meet the expectations of our clients, led by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, with an increase in activity of around ten percent. This reflects the company’s growing number of employees, which has increased from under 1,700 to over 1,820. Our employees continued to demonstrate their loyalty in 2021: external turnover was particularly low. This human capital is the company’s greatest asset in view of the years of intense activity which lie ahead and when it comes to ensuring the continuation and development of our unique skills.

2022 has begun in a similar fashion to the previous year and will include key dates for our military and civil projects. Thanks to the wealth of experience we have developed over the years and the constant support of our clients, we are ready for any challenge. 2022 will mark TechnicAtome’s fiftieth birthday: half a century of uninterrupted design and construction of state-of-the-art nuclear reactors and facilities.