Concept art representing Stellaria’s Alvin prototype. (Image: Stellaria)
French advanced reactor developer Stellaria has formally submitted an application with the French government for authorization to build a prototype of its fast breeder molten salt reactor concept, known as Stellarium.
The company, which spun out of the country’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and Schneider Electric, filed an application for authorization to create (DAC) for the reactor with the government minister in charge of nuclear safety, making it the first French start-up to submit an application with the authorities for a fast-neutron reactor.
Technology: The Stellarium prototype, which the company calls Alvin, is expected to begin operation in 2030 to test and validate the design. This technology, for which the company holds eight patents, incorporates an underground installation with four containment barriers. Stellaria claims its design is “the safest reactor on the market under all circumstances.”
The reactor, which is classified as a fast breeder reactor with a molten chloride salt core, is designed to produce both electricity and heat: 250 MW of thermal power (at 570°C) or 110 MW of electrical power. According to Stellaria, the reactor can run on uranium, plutonium, or thorium fuel.
Decisive step: The DAC submitted by Stellaria comprises approximately 15 documents totaling more than 1,000 pages. These documents include such information as descriptions of the installation, the safety principles adopted, and the management of external hazards and radiation protection; an environmental impact assessment; conditions planned for decommissioning; the operator’s technical and financial capabilities; and all other technical documents that are essential for review of the application. Nicolas Breyton, the president of Stellaria, said that the application “is decisive for Stellaria, as it validates the work carried out so far by its teams and partners, and fully commits the company to its responsibilities as a nuclear operator. By filing this application, Stellaria moves beyond the concept stage and enters a structuring regulatory phase, in which its fundamental choices are now set.”
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