Blykalla and newcleo have signed an agreement for the joint research and development of materials for lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs). The partnership entails the exchange of materials, results, and associated data to assist the respective R&D programmes of each party. By combining findings from their individual R&D programmes as well as industrialization processes, the parties can work toward expediting the commercialization of LFR technology crucial for Europe's decarbonization efforts.
Based on decades of research on metallurgy and the development of proprietary IP, Blykalla’s advancements in material sciences provide a foundation for the safe and efficient operation of lead-cooled reactors. newcleo’s advanced materials knowledge, R&D programs, and laboratories can support the testing, industrialization, and qualification of such materials. By collaborating, Blykalla and newcleo will have access to each other's research facilities and expert personnel, facilitating the exchange of materials, testing results, and data. This collaboration will enable both companies to enhance material solutions, ensuring the reliability and longevity of next-generation nuclear reactors.
This arrangement also serves the purpose of supporting the optimisation of supply chains in line with the goals of the EU SMR Alliance, facilitating cross-border knowledge exchange in the licensing process for each party’s reactor technologies. Both companies are already collaborating in their respective working groups on topics of mutual interest.
Stefano Buono, Founder and CEO of newcleo, stated: "I am particularly happy to reinforce our partnership with Blykalla, because founders from both companies pioneered the field of lead-cooled fast reactors research since the nineties and have a long history of collaborative work. All SMR and AMR developers are working to ambitious timelines to bring our respective projects online and start generating the low-carbon electricity so crucial to delivering the energy transition. This type of collaboration is designed to share knowledge which will help each party accelerate their development programmes, in service not only of our respective projects but for the new nuclear sector as a whole. When the need is urgent and time is short, collaboration is key, and I’m delighted that newcleo and Blykalla can support each other in achieving our common goal."
Jacob Stedman, CEO of Blykalla, added: "Both our companies recognize the urgency for developing sustainable energy to achieve decarbonization, and LFR technology offers a pathway to do so. By combining our extensive expertise in corrosion-resistant materials with newcleo's industrial capabilities, we are positioned to advance the commercialization of lead-cooled reactor technology. This partnership not only enhances our technological development but also exemplifies the collaborative spirit needed to address the pressing challenges of energy security and climate change.”
The scope of this agreement will allow Blykalla and newcleo to support each other in developing their material solutions and testing services. The exchange of services and information relating to this collaboration will not be used for commercial purposes, or the development of any new technology outside of this agreement. Each party’s background intellectual property will remain their own, allowing for both newcleo and Blykalla to develop their own LFR solutions to add to the wealth of new nuclear technologies in development that will play a leading role in global decarbonisation.
About Blykalla
Blykalla is Sweden's only developer of advanced SMRs, commercializing lead-cooled fast reactors for industrial use. Based on 20+ years of research, their SEALER technology is a compact 55 MWe unit designed to offer a safe, efficient, and scalable power solution. With a strong foundation within Sweden, Blykalla is well positioned to deliver Europe's first advanced SMR, providing reliable and sustainable baseload energy to power AI and clean industries.
Backed by partners including Uniper, ABB, OKG, and the Royal Institute of Technology, Blykalla has secured a SEK 99 million grant from the Swedish Energy Agency and a EUR 17 million investment from the EU. The company plans to achieve criticality for its first SEALER reactor by 2030 and begin serial production in the 2030s. Once deployed, Blykalla aims to generate up to 500 TWh of clean electricity annually, cutting global CO₂ emissions by 0.5 gigatons each year.
For more information, please contact:
Alexandra Wyler, Communications Manager Blykalla
Phone: +46 768 61 73 73
Email: alexandra.wyler@blykalla.com
About newcleo
Since launching in 2021 newcleo has quickly established itself as an innovator in the field of nuclear energy. newcleo is working to design, build, and operate Gen-IV Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) that are cooled by liquid lead and fuelled by reprocessed nuclear waste.
Through an innovative combination of existing and proven technologies, and by reviving a nuclear industry model based on the manufacture and multi-recycling of Mixed Oxide fuel, newcleo aims to close the nuclear fuel cycle while safely producing clean, affordable, and practically inexhaustible energy required for low carbon economies.
With a EUR 50m group turnover in 2024, more than EUR 537m of private funding and over 90 partnerships and collaborations across the nuclear industry, the growth of the newcleo group is supported through the targeted acquisition of key companies with strong capabilities in nuclear engineering, manufacturing, and waste management.
Through its workforce of over 1,000 highly qualified employees across France, the UK, Italy, Switzerland and Slovakia, newcleo is not only developing and delivering the skills and services required for the group’s own ambitious project timelines, but also supporting the development of Small Modular Reactor supply chains in Europe and beyond.
For more information, please contact:
Weber Shandwick (UK)
Hamish Docherty, Vice President
Phone: +44 7929 660691
Email: hdocherty@webershandwick.com;
newcleo@webershandwick.com; media@newcleo.com
Brunswick
Alessandro Iozzia (Italy)
Phone: + 393 357187205
Benoit Grange (France)
Phone: +33 614450926
Email: newcleo@brunswickgroup.com
