Newcleo is developing reactors that will produce electricity while recycling spent fuel recovered from existing nuclear reactors.
The company has now completed the preparatory stage set up by the French authorities for developers of small modular reactor projects to facilitate, secure and accelerate the review of licence applications.
During the preparatory stage, the French authorities assessed the maturity of Newcleo's project and discussed all safety options for its lead cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) projects and the associated nuclear fuel manufacturing plant. The conclusion of this preparatory stage follows technical meetings involving approximately 20 experts from the authorities as well as the development of a range of preparatory documents covering various technical topics.
The achievement of this preparatory phase is to be followed by the submission of official technical options for both the LFR and the MOX manufacturing plant. The French authorities will then establish a written advice which, along with other considerations derived from the preparatory phase discussions, will allow a faster process to grant the necessary authorisation decrees to Newcleo.
Stéphane Calpena, Newcleo’s global licensing director, commented: " The constructive discussions we have had with experts from the French authorities have been invaluable, enabling us to guide our design choices and associated safety requirements to meet the exceptionally high standards that French nuclear energy is known for."