• Eagles and Newcleo team up for LFR technology demonstrator Four European nuclear technology organisations launched the Eagles Consortium in June last year to develop and commercialise the EAGLES-300 small modular reactor (SMR) with the aim of delivering a first demonstration by 2035. • The agreement was signed by Belgium’s SCK-CEN nuclear research centre, Italy’s national agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable economic development ENEA, Italian company Ansaldo Nucleare, and Romanian state-owned nuclear R&D coordination organisation RATEN. • EAGLES-300 is a lead-cooled Generation IV small modular reactor. • The Eagles Consortium plans to leverage two test facilities on its route to commercialisation. • The LEANDREA technology demonstrator, in Belgium will focus on fuel and materials testing; while the ALFRED (Advanced Lead Fast Reactor European Demonstrator) project, at Pitești, Romania, will be upgraded to serve as a stepping stone toward commercial deployment. • With global commercialisation for EAGLES-300 targeted in 2039, the consortium said it is adopting a stepwise approach to development, ensuring technical feasibility and economic viability at each stage.
Article Summaries:
- The Eagles Consortium-comprising Belgium’s SCK‑CEN, Italy’s ENEA and Ansaldo Nucleare, and Romania’s RATEN-has partnered with Paris‑based Newcleo to accelerate the development of lead‑cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology in Europe. The collaboration will focus on the LEANDREA demonstrator, slated for completion in 2034, which will serve as a test facility for fuels and materials and provide irradiation capacity for both groups. By sharing engineering support, R&D coordination and promotion, the partners aim to minimise duplication, optimise resources and shorten timelines toward commercial deployment of the EAGLES‑300 SMR and Newcleo’s LFR‑AS‑200.
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