Thorium for EPR?
24 July 2009
The potential use of thorium nuclear fuel in Areva's pressurized water reactors will be investigated. An "initial collaborative agreement" towards that end was made between Areva and Thorium Power on 23 July which will see the French firm pay Thorium on a monthly basis to begin studies relating to its EPR design. If the "general results on evolutionary approaches to the use of Thorium" are up to scratch, the program will be worth $550,000 to Thorium, while Areva will be able to keep the resulting intellectual property. Following this, further agreements towards new products and technologies could be made.