Industrial permitting
Regulatory support for industrial projects in France.
Successfully navigating administrative procedures for new industrial projects
Who is this for?
Industrial start-ups or SMEs whose teams are primarily focused on engineering and sales, and who need someone to lead the administrative procedures related to their activities.
Why?
Every industrial project inevitably faces administrative complexity.
Several types of procedures — sometimes demanding ones — must be completed to reconcile business development with the protection of the public interest: ICPE (Classified Installations for Environmental Protection), IOTA (Water Law Installations, Works and Developments), building permits, and any sector-specific procedures (nuclear safety, security, etc.).
In addition, a growing number of procedures now exist to accelerate and subsidise industrial projects. For acceleration: recognition as a Major National Interest Project, Strategic Project status under the NZIA Regulation, the "Industrial Cathedrals" scheme, etc. For funding: the Innovation Fund, the EIC Accelerator, various ADEME funds, etc.
Managing these files in an integrated way can be a key success factor for a project.
How?
Regulatory analysis, connecting with law firms where needed, to determine the applicable legal framework with certainty
Developing a regulatory strategy: which authorisations are essential? On what timeline? Which exemptions or subsidies to apply for?
Drafting administrative applications, in partnership with internal teams and external advisors — potentially alongside a strategy to help shape the applicable rules where needed
Support throughout the review process.
Follow-up on compliance with administrative requirements, regulatory monitoring, optimisation, and support for international expansion
Case study — Fenix Energy
Regulatory affairs advisor — since February 2026
Fenix Energy is developing an energy production system that uses combustion to convert iron into clean thermal energy, aimed at decarbonising industrial heat for outputs in the range of a few megawatts. I support Fenix through its administrative process in France (ICPE, building permit, France Expérimentation, the Innovation Fund) and, on an exploratory basis, in other European countries.
What this covers day to day
- Contributing to the regulatory qualification of the project together with a law firm, and feeding the lightest-formality options into the company's strategy as early as possible
- Contributing to the drafting of administrative application documents
- Connecting Fenix to public support schemes that can benefit the company
What this brings to my other clients
Hands-on administrative experience with a highly innovative project that is simple and easy to deploy.
Case study — Jimmy Energy
Head of Nuclear Regulatory Affairs and Public Law — since 2022
Jimmy Energy is developing a micro nuclear reactor aimed at decarbonising industrial heat. I have been in charge of the project's regulatory affairs for the past three and a half years.
What this covers day to day
- Managing the regulatory timeline: coordination between ASNR (the nuclear safety authority), the DGEC (energy directorate), the DREAL (regional environment authority) and prefectural authorities
- Assisting technical drafting teams with the interpretation of the applicable regulatory framework
- Contributing to the quality management system and the implementation of compliance mechanisms
- Legal monitoring and contribution to ongoing reforms affecting SMRs, both in French law (taxation, reduced-risk regimes, litigation over authorisations, required financial capacity) and European law (revision of the GBER, implications for State aid to nuclear projects)
What this brings to my other clients
Experience managing maximum administrative complexity, and access to the strongest exemption and acceleration mechanisms (France simplification, NZIA strategic project status, industrial cathedral project, projects of national or European scale).