PARIS, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Renaissance Fusion and five other companies were named as winners of France's innovative nuclear reactor awards, the French energy ministry said on Monday, as part of a push to encourage the development of smaller models in France.
The recipients will each receive 77.2 million euros ($84.20 million) in state support, and technical support from the Atomic Energy Agency (CEA) equivalent to an additional 18.9 million euros, the minister's office said.
The other winners are Jimmy Energy and Blue Capsule for high temperature reactors, Calogena for a water reactor to decarbonize heating, and Hexana and Otrera Nuclear Energy for sodium-cooled fast neutron reactors. Renaissance Fusion won for its nuclear fusion project.
Nuclear fusion is expected to be promoted at the upcoming UN climate summit in Dubai after receiving decades of investment globally, with a breakthrough occurring last year at a lab in California where U.S. scientists achieved net energy gains.
The call for projects was launched by the government last March to support new, completed concepts of innovative nuclear reactors in the fields of fission and fusion and to create "a new ecosystem of start-ups" in the nuclear sector.
Two other start-ups that were named as winners in June - Naarea SA with molten salt reactors and Newcleo SA with a lead-cooled reactor - will receive 25 million euros each.
The announcement of the winners comes on the eve of the fifth edition of the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris, which will take place between Nov. 28 and 30. ($1 = 0.9168 euros) (Reporting by Benjamin Mallet; writing by Forrest Crellin; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
