• Copy Link Share on X Share on Linkedin Share on Facebook Belgian Minister of Energy Mathieu Bihet has announced cooperation between the European EAGLES consortium and French-based nuclear start-up newcleo for development of the LEANDREA (Lead-cooled European Advanced Nuclear DEmonstrator for Research and Applications) project being developed in Belgium. • The Eagles Consortium was established in June 2025 to focus on Generation IV lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology with the aim of developing and commercialising EAGLES-300, a next-generation lead-cooled small modular reactor (SMR). • The consortium comprises Belgium’s SCK-CEN nuclear research centre; Italy’s National Agency for New Technologies, Energy & Sustainable Economic Development ENEA; Italian company Ansaldo Nucleare; and Romanian Atomic Energy Technology Company RATEN (Regia Autonoma Tehnologii pentru Energia Nucleara). • The LEANDREA project is a low-power LFR nuclear technology demonstrator being developed in Belgium. • It serves as the critical first step in a European roadmap to commercialise LFRs. • It is the precursor to the ALFRED demonstrator in Romania, with the final goal being the commercial deployment of the EAGLES-300 reactor by 2039.

Article Summaries:

  • Belgian Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet announced that the European EAGLES consortium will partner with French start‑up newcleo to develop the LEANDREA lead‑cooled fast‑reactor demonstrator in Belgium. EAGLES, formed in June 2025, aims to commercialise the EAGLES‑300 small‑modular reactor (SMR) by 2039 and includes SCK‑CEN, ENEA, Ansaldo Nucleare and RATEN. LEANDREA, a low‑power LFR test facility, is slated for completion at SCK‑CEN in 2034 and will serve as a platform for testing materials and fuels for both EAGLES and newcleo’s LFR designs. The partnership will coordinate R&D to minimise overlap and pursue an early, joint pre‑licensing process with Belgian, Italian and Romanian regulators under the IAEA’s NHSI initiative, underscoring a harmonised regulatory approach for advanced SMRs.

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