Recently, French small modular reactor developer Blue Capsule Technology announced a collaboration with French CSTI Groupe to build the full-scale high-temperature sodium test facility "ELISE" in Peyrolles-en-Provence. This facility will comprehensively simulate the high-temperature operating conditions of the sodium-cooled high-temperature small modular reactor (SMR) being developed by Blue Capsule, providing crucial data support for the reactor design.

Blue Capsule, a spin-off from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), is currently developing a sodium-cooled high-temperature small modular reactor (SMR). It is expected to provide 150 megawatts of thermal energy at 700 degrees Celsius and 50 megawatts of electricity, with a designed operational lifespan of 60 years. The ELISE facility will specifically study the natural circulation characteristics and thermal-hydraulic behavior of liquid sodium under high-temperature conditions, which is an important technical foundation for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of this reactor.

As the first milestone in Blue Capsule's technology roadmap, ELISE is expected to operate for many years, laying the groundwork for the construction of a non-nuclear prototype in 2027-2028 and the commissioning of the first reactor in the early 2030s. The construction and operation of this facility will help advance the development of sodium-cooled small reactor technology centered on TRISO fuel, providing a new technological pathway for decarbonizing the industrial sector.

Edouard Hourcade, President of Blue Capsule, stated: The ELISE facility will be "the first of its kind" in France and will be open to other players in the field, allowing the broader nuclear energy industry to benefit from ELISE. For our company, this is also a milestone, marking our steady progress.