Second fund launched to boost French nuclear supply chain

Friday, 16 May 2025

This first round of financing, known as the Fonds France Nucléaire (FFN), was launched in October 2021. When that round concluded at the end of 2024, EUR100 million (USD112 million) had been investments in 11 nuclear companies, with contributions from EDF, Framatome, Orano, TechnicAtome, major clients in the nuclear industry, as well as Siparex Associés, sponsor of the Siparex Group funds.

A second round of funding - named Fonds France Nucléaire 2 (FFN2) - has now been launched as a continuation of FFN with the target of raising EUR300 million.

"The aim of FFN2 is to support SMEs and mid-sized companies with significant expertise in the nuclear sector, in order to address the growing needs of the sector, which contributes to the challenges of energy sovereignty and defence," EDF said. "The FFN2 aims to invest tickets up to EUR50 million, alone or in co-investment, in a majority or minority position."

EDF said FFN2 will also bring together new leading institutional, industrial, and private investors "seeking to invest in the challenges of industrial and energy sovereignty, reindustrialisation, and the decarbonisation of the economy, and benefit from the associated strong momentum. Indeed, with more than 2000 companies and 220,000 employees contributing to the economic vitality of the regions, the French nuclear industry is the third-largest industrial sector in France".

EDF noted that the FFN2 fund has already made its first investment in Ekoscan Integrity Group, a global provider of advanced non-destructive testing solutions for critical industrial and infrastructure applications, alongside the company's founder and management team, Eurazeo, and ALIAD (Air Liquide Venture Capital).

"The establishment of the Fonds France Nucléaire 2 is in line with what the first fund successfully implemented, demonstrating the value of targeting both strategic objectives for industry players and financial performance objectives," said Benoit Desforges, Managing Partner, Fonds France Nucléaire. "I am very pleased to see the industry's major clients subscribing to the FFN2 alongside EDF, and to see institutional investors joining them, thus strengthening the support system as well as the investment capacity."

Xavier Ursat, Executive Director of the EDF Group, in charge of the Strategy, Technologies, Innovation and Development Department, added: "With the Fonds France Nucléaire 2, the objective is to prepare for the future by working alongside companies in the nuclear sector and giving them the means today to develop, innovate and gain sovereignty."

In February 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the time was right for a nuclear renaissance in France, saying the operation of all existing reactors should be extended without compromising safety and unveiling a proposed programme for six new EPR2 reactors, with an option for a further eight EPR2 reactors to follow. The first three pairs of EPR2 reactors are proposed to be built, in order, at the Penly, Gravelines and Bugey sites. Construction is expected to start in 2027.

Article researched and written by WNN's Warwick Pipe