The Belgian nuclear research centre SCK CEN has signed an international cooperation agreement to develop a new small modular reactor (SMR).
The reactor is planned to be tested at the Mol site in Antwerp Province by 2034, with hopes of commercialisation starting from 2039.
Small modular reactors produce less energy compared to large nuclear plants but generate less nuclear waste and are easier to construct.
The design proposed by SCK CEN, in collaboration with Italy’s ENEA and Ansaldo Nucleare, Romania’s RATEN, and French company Newcleo, is a lead-cooled fast neutron reactor.
This project was initially announced last year and has now been formalised through a binding agreement.
