Licensing of Newcleo's SMR progresses in France

Prior to applying for authorisation to construct a nuclear facility in France, a project developer may submit all or part of the design of its nuclear installation to the Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire et de Radioprotection (ASNR), together with the safety approach, safety functions, structures, systems, components, or any other elements relevant to the proposed facility’s nuclear safety programme.

"The ASNR's independent review will enable Newcleo to identify safety improvements and to strengthen its application for authorisation to construct the facility," the company said.

"This major milestone is the result of years of engineering and R&D work, reinforced by a technical dialogue with the ASNR," Stefano Buono, CEO and founder of Newcleo, said. "As we prepare to apply for authorisation to build a nuclear power installation in 2027, we are also establishing a framework that will serve as a foundation for our interactions with other foreign nuclear safety authorities and to expand into additional markets. We support our technical validation efforts through a world-class R&D programme located at the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre in Italy, where we operate and are building 16 R&D facilities that generate data to validate our parameters and support our forthcoming qualification files."

In December 2024, Newcleo submitted its Safety Option File to France's nuclear safety regulator for its fuel assembly testing facility. The ASNR's official opinion on the submitted safety options will contribute to securing the application for authorisation to construct such a facility.

"The ASNR's review of both nuclear safety programme files will allow Newcleo to consolidate the applications for authorisation to build these two nuclear installations, which are expected to be submitted to the relevant French Ministry before the end of 2027," Newcleo said. "The applications for authorisation will also contain information on progress related to nuclear safeguards with Euratom. They will further be subject to review by the French national security authorities regarding requirements to ensure adequate protection of the installations against potential malicious acts."

Newcleo officially initiated its safeguards-by-design engagement with Euratom, the regulatory body overseeing nuclear safeguards within the European Union, for its lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) in December last year. A mandatory requirement under the new Commission Regulation (Euratom) 2025/974, which came into effect on 6 July 2025, safeguards-by-design refers to the process where operators of new or modified nuclear facilities integrate Euratom safeguards considerations into the design phase and formally provide this design information to the European Commission.

Paris-headquartered Newcleo's delivery roadmap sees the first non-nuclear precursor prototype of its LFR being ready by 2026 in Italy and the first reactor operational in France as early as 2032, while the final investment decision for the first commercial power plant is expected around 2029. At the same time, Newcleo will directly invest in a mixed uranium/plutonium oxide (MOX) plant to fuel its reactors. It has initiated site acquisition and public consultation processes in France for the MOX fuel pilot assembly line in Nogent-sure-Seine.

"These nuclear installation projects will be subject to a mandatory public debate in France, as decided by the National Commission for Public Debate in June 2025," Newcleo noted. "This debate, to be held in 2026, is intended to involve the public in the process, gather stakeholder inputs, and contribute to decision-making on these two major nuclear projects, in line with the regulatory processes leading to the authorisations."