A Successful First Half of 2025 : Over Two Billion Euros FDI in Eastern France

By the end of June 2025, Eastern France had already attracted over two billion euros in foreign investment, some of which was announced at the Choose France summit. Our team from Grand Est Développement International could support these projects. Here’s a look at two of them!

Newcleo plans to invest €1.8 Billion in a recycled nuclear fuel plant in Aube

Circular Economy applied to the Nuclear Industry

The ambition of the Italian-British start-up Newcleo is to produce low-carbon fuel, reduce nuclear waste, and accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors (SMR). To achieve this goal, it has just announced a €1.8 billion investment in the Aube region (Grand Est) to build a recycled nuclear fuel plant.

Announcement praised by Eastern France’s insitutions

Thanks to strong support from local and regional public policies from the beginning of the project and the accessibility and availability of land, Newcleo’s announcement has been described as “historic” by François Baroin, President of Troyes Champagne Métropole. Franck Leroy, President of the Grand Est Region, qualified it as “innovative, competitive, and a driving force behind the environmental transition.”

A Major New Employement Source with an European Dimension

The new plant, located in the heart of the Aube region, could become a central hub for the recycling of nuclear waste in Europe. By 2030, an initial pilot line will provide 850 direct jobs. This will be followed by two more lines by 2040, bringing the total number of direct jobs to 1,700.

CIRC implants a pioneer textile recycling plant in Mosel

Circular Economy applied to the Textile Industry

Circ announced an investment of €450 million and the creation of 200 jobs at the Choose France 2025 summit. The project involves the construction of Europe’s first giant chemical textile recycling plant. Circ’s ambition is to recycle huge volumes of used clothing from all over the world, using a revolutionary technology that recovers old polyester and cotton garments on an industrial scale. The plant could process up to 70,000 tons of raw material per year.

Eastern France’s many assets were decisive

Although the American company could choose between 80 sites worldwide, it decided to settle in Saint-Avold in Moselle (Grand Est). The region’s assets, including a favorable ecosystem for the circular economy, a very low-carbon energy mix, and streamlined administrative procedures, finally convinced Circ to settle in Eastern France.

New perspectives for the Textile Industry in Europe

In France, only one-third of textiles are collected, and only 30% of the collected textiles are recycled, mostly outside Europe. A whole textile recycling sector needed to be created. With Circ settling in the region, Eastern France becomes a driving force in this new sector.