The European Commission (EC) has launched an Industrial Alliance for Small and Medium-Range Nuclear Power (SMRs) to facilitate their development in Europe by the early 2030s, reported World Nuclear News.

The Alliance works through working groups to improve conditions for the development and deployment of SMRs, including rebuilding the supply chain for nuclear power.

The activities aim to support specific SMR projects and accelerate their deployment on the European market. The alliance was formally confirmed at the inaugural General Assembly in Brussels on 29-30 May.

In June, the Alliance launched a call for SMR projects to be considered for the Alliance's Project Working Groups (PWGs). The governing board and the Alliance secretariat reviewed and assessed 22 applications.

The first batch of SMR projects selected for the PWGs include the EU-SMR-LFR project, CityHeat project, Project Quantum, European LFR AS Project, Nuward, European BWRX-300 SMR, Rolls-Royce SMR, NuScale VOYGR SMR, and Thorizon One project."Each of these projects will have the opportunity to constitute a PWG involving all partners interested in collaboration with the project," the EC said.

Marc Schyns, director of innovative nuclear systems at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN), said: "Our project is getting a label – a vote of confidence from Europe. This will give a huge boost to the partners working on this; it only further strengthens our ambition to demonstrate the potential of lead-cooled, fast reactor technology."

Project partner Ansaldo Nucleare added: "The development path, which has been awarded by the European Commission, includes the construction of two demonstration prototypes (LEANDREA and FALCON) designed to validate the technological choices, which will be built in Belgium and Romania, respectively."

Newcleo CEO Stefano Buono said the selection of the company's LFR AS project was a "ringing endorsement" for its technology. "We look forward to collaborating with the new European Commission Commissioner and other industry stakeholders, who, like us, are members of the European Industrial Alliance of SMRs, to foster a supportive environment for the growth of new nuclear technologies," he added.

Ansaldo Nucleare noted, "The four future partners Ansaldo Nucleare, ENEA, RATEN and SCK-CEN have signed a collaboration agreement, together with Newcleo. This will launch discussions to see how we can work together and where the two consortiums can collaborate on LFR technology. By joining forces, we are enhancing our shared commitment to innovation and sustainability within the nuclear sector and can further promote the development of fast reactor technology in Europe."