Press release: Thorizon hires Laure Claquin as COO in France

Lyon, Thursday November 16^th, 2023 – Thorizon, the Dutch-founded nuclear start-up that aims to transform nuclear waste into energy, today announced Laure Claquin will join the company as its Chief Operating Officer (COO) as of January 1^st, 2024.  Thorizon recently opened an office in Lyon and is recruiting engineers to develop an innovative molten salt reactor in France, like it is doing in the Netherlands.  Laure will lead the scaling of Thorizon across France (Lyon) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and work closely together with Thorizon’s partners in France: Orano, CEA, Oakridge and Université de Lille and Centrale Lille.

Laure Claquin is an experienced professional in the nuclear field with over 15 years of international management experience at Areva / Orano and most recently as CFO and deputy CEO for ETC, the joint venture between Orano and Urenco.  She has an engineering degree from the leading French institute Ecole Polytechnique.

Laure Claquin says “I am thrilled to join Thorizon and be part of such an exciting adventure. I am convinced that by capitalizing on competences both from the Netherlands and France, we will be able to speed up our time to market and strengthen our design and business model.”

Kiki Lauwers, CEO of Thorizon says “We are excited about Laure joining the team, she combines a strong experience and network in the nuclear industry with international working experience across France and the Netherlands. Above all we have gotten to know her as a laser sharp and well-connected leader who we are convinced can shape the future of Thorizon. Under her vision and leadership, we will also grow our presence in France”.

Thorizon has established an office in Lyon across the Gare Part Dieu. The company submitted a project proposal in the scope of France 2030 in consortium with Orano with the objective to realize a fast spectrum molten salt reactor in France that converts spent nuclear fuel into energy. Thorizon is currently hiring 20 team members in nuclear engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry and neutronics. Its Amsterdam office already hosts 18 employees.

Sander de Groot, CTO of Thorizon adds “France has been a leader in nuclear energy for a long time, and with the ambition and focus of the France2030 program it is well positioned to strengthen that position for the next generation of reactors. Through our operations in Lyon, we hope to further strengthen our cooperation with Orano and CEA.  Lyon has an excellent start-up ecosystem and is a great place to recruit talent and a wonderful city for young professionals to live.”

About Thorizon

Thorizon is a developer of nuclear power solutions. The company designs and creates frontier technology for Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs). Thorizon’s purpose is to accelerate the availability of clean energy.  Thorizon’s reactor generates emission free energy on demand and reduces nuclear waste streams by reducing it as fuel in combination with the abundant metal Thorium. The Thorizon One can provide 100MW of electricity or 550° C industrial heat for use in industrial processes, such as hydrogen production. Thorizon is a spin-off from NRG, the Dutch producer of medical isotopes and operator of the High Flux Reactor in Petten. The company raised € 12.5mln in the Summer of 2022 to develop its technology. The company has offices in Amsterdam and Lyon.

Note for press:

For any questions, interview requests or further information, please contact Fione den Outer via info@thorizon.com