EAGLES and newcleo join forces on LEANDREA
BRUSSELS, Feb. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- During the high-level “Taking the Lead” event on EAGLES-300, Belgian Minister of Energy Mathieu Bihet today announced the cooperation between the European EAGLES consortium -with partners Ansaldo Nucleare, ENEA, RATEN and SCK CEN- and the French company newcleo. Both parties are committed to the development and future commercialization of lead-cooled Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and will now work together on the realization of LEANDREA. This limited-power reactor is expected to be completed by 2034 at the site of the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN in Belgium.
A shared roadmap towards LEANDREA
The EAGLES consortium and newcleo will generate synergies to streamline the development of the Lead-cooled Fast Reactor technology in Europe by contributing to the design and construction of LEANDREA. This reactor is being developed as both a technology demonstrator and a test facility for materials and fuels. Once operational, EAGLES and newcleo will benefit from significant irradiation capacity to test new materials and fuels for fast reactors. This supports both the EAGLES and newcleo roadmaps towards commercialization. The EAGLES program adopts a stepwise approach: the LEANDREA Technology Demonstrator in Mol, followed by the ALFRED Performance Demonstrator in Romania, which will pave the way to commercial deployment in 2039. newcleo, in turn, is developing its own LFR reactor design with commercial deployment planned for the early 2030’s.
In our sector, we cannot push innovation forward without extensive testing. Irradiation capacity is essential for that. LEANDREA thus takes on an even more European character.
LEANDREA will be established as a Belgian research facility on the SCK CEN site, which, as a partner within the EAGLES consortium, will operate the installation. The design is based as much as possible on proven technology, enabling available knowledge to be converted into results quickly and ensuring construction can be completed in 2034.
A combined effort and a focus on synergies
For the development and deployment of LEANDREA, EAGLES and newcleo are now combining their efforts and will share the engineering support and contributions, as well as promotion of LEANDREA as equivalent partners. This collaboration enhances the feasibility of the commercialization of EAGLES-300, the final product of the EAGLES consortium, as well as that of newcleo’s LFRAS200, which have both been selected by the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs as champion projects.
Through this collaboration, the EAGLES consortium and newcleo agree to jointly identify and coordinate R&D activities already foreseen in their respective roadmaps that can be shared, with the aim of minimizing overlaps in technological development in LEANDREA. With their joint commitment to LEANDREA, Europe strengthens its position in innovative, low-carbon nuclear technology and advances its strategic energy autonomy.
The facility represents a foundation for reliable, futureproof reactor concepts that can play a key role in a stable and sustainable European energy supply.
Collaboration as a guiding thread within the EAGLES program
Collaboration lies at the heart of the EAGLES consortium. Within a single coordinated structure, EAGLES brings together industrial and technological expertise from Belgium, Italy, and Romania to develop and deploy EAGLES-300, a 300MWe lead-cooled fast SMR. By combining industrial knowhow with deep expertise in liquid metals, the consortium is not simply focused on scientific progress but is pursuing and promoting the commercial application of reliable, low-carbon nuclear technology.
In addition to the close collaboration between the partners, the EAGLES consortium also places strong emphasis on early alignment with nuclear safety regulators. In coordination with competent authorities from Belgium, Italy and Romania, the consortium is conducting an international pre-licensing process for EAGLES300. This process is a pilot project within the Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Never before have national regulators collaborated so early in the development of an advanced SMR. By aligning safety requirements and expectations from the start, EAGLES is taking an important step towards harmonized regulation — which is essential for the smooth commercial application of the technology.
The collaboration with newcleo fits seamlessly into this broader strategy. By working together on LEANDREA, EAGLES and newcleo lay a solid foundation to eventually bring Lead Fast Reactors to market. This not only strengthens Europe’s position in reliable, low-carbon nuclear technology but also contributes to a future-proof energy transition.
“Today, Belgium is putting its decades of nuclear know-how and expertise, fully at the service of Europa. Through the project of SCK CEN and the EAGLES consortium, dedicated to research and innovation on next-generation lead-cooled reactors, our country asserts its role in developing abundant, competitive, low-carbon energy. Nuclear energy is not just a transitional energy source, but a sustainable and enduring pillar of our energy sovereignty. In this perspective, the fast-neutron reactor sector represents an unavoidable path forward."
Mathieu Bihet | Belgian Minister of Energy
“By signing this agreement we are redefining the Lead-cooled Fast Reactor as Europe’s reference advanced reactor technology. Alongside EAGLES we are pooling together decades of world-class research on LFRs for the benefit of both organisations. This collaboration will consolidate the competitiveness of Europe’s nuclear industry, allowing it to progress at pace and compete in the global race towards a new era of nuclear energy deployment.”
Stefano Buono | CEO newcleo
About newcleo
newcleo is an innovative nuclear energy company developing Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) cooled by liquid lead, and nuclear fuel from reprocessed nuclear waste, with the goal of delivering abundant, competitive, low-carbon energy. The company was founded by physicist-entrepreneur Stefano Buono following the USD 3.9 billion sale of his previous venture – NASDAQ-listed nuclear medicine company Advanced Accelerator Applications - to Novartis. With over EUR 70 million in revenue in 2024, over EUR 645 million in private funding, and more than 900 highly skilled employees across Europe and the US, the company has built a network of over 100 industry partnerships and supports its growth through the targeted acquisition and vertical integration of key companies in the nuclear supply chain. Visit www.newcleo.com
About EAGLES
EAGLES (European Advanced Generation IV Lead-Cooled Energy System) is a European programme to develop and prepare the market introduction of a lead-cooled fast Small Modular Reactor (EAGLES-300) by 2039. The programme unites Europe’s leading nuclear industrial and research organisations to deliver a flexible, efficient and commercially sustainable nuclear system. Commercial deployment of EAGLES-300 is targeted for 2039, following the successful operation of the programme’s demonstrator and prototype facilities (LEANDREA, in Belgium, resp. ALFRED, in Romania).
About EAGLES-300
EAGLES-300 is the 300 MWe commercial lead-cooled fast SMR model developed under the EAGLES programme. It combines inherent safety, low-pressure operation and passive heat-removal capabilities with the efficiency advantages of a fast neutron spectrum, enabling improved fuel utilisation and compatibility with a closed fuel cycle. The reactor’s high-temperature output will enable both electricity generation and a range of industrial applications, including hydrogen production and molecule synthesis. Entirely designed within the European scientific and industrial ecosystem, EAGLES-300 will support the region’s long-term objectives of energy sovereignty, responsible resource management and reduced high-level waste.
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