Nuclear Engineering Masters’ (GA) inaugural lecture places Small Modular Reactors in the spotlight

Loïc Rocard, CEO of TechniAtome, gave the inaugural lecture, on Tuesday the 5th of October, for the Advanced Graduate Degree for engineers specialising in Nuclear Engineering, on the subject "From land prototype to SMR, the other adventure of nuclear reactors", including a history of nuclear power seen through the prism of the challenges of naval propulsion.

Each year, a speaker from the nuclear sector is invited by the CEA Chairman and CEO, the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy and the Director of INSTN, to give a lecture to students of the Masters Degree for engineers specialising in Nuclear Engineering, and representatives of the nuclear industry, the cornerstone of the success of this course.

The Class of 2022’s 73 students listened to Loïc Rocard’s enthusiasm for the new generation of naval propulsion nuclear reactors for the future aircraft carrier, K22, and the French SMR project, Nuward: "With these projects, there will be work, great work, and it won’t be easy!" He also gave the students in the audience encouragement: "Those of you who arrive in the nuclear sector with youth, energy and desire, know that there are key challenges to be met: to be simple, fast and right first time, and above all never accept systemic difficulties."

The Masters Degree for engineers specialising in Nuclear Engineering is a one-year first-class training course, taken following an Engineering Masters Degree, which aims to train highly specialised engineers for the needs of the nuclear industry and the French Navy. It is delivered on 3 INSTN sites in France: Saclay, Cadarache, and Cherbourg, and is certified by the French CTI.