The ALFRED / EU-SMR-LFR project is among the lead-cooled fast reactor proposals selected by the European Commission
There is also the ALFRED / EU-SMR-LFR project among the lead-cooled fast reactor proposals selected by the European Commission as part of the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors project. Presenting the project last June was the FALCON consortium, led by Ansaldo Nucleare in collaboration with ENEA, the Romanian Institute for Nuclear Research-RATEN, and with the participation of the Belgian research organization SCK-CEN.
The ALFRED project aims at the development of an advanced fourth-generation nuclear reactor, modular and smaller in size than the generations currently in operation, fast-neutron and lead-cooled, the first example of which could be put into operation from 2040. 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.
«The choice of the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors is an important recognition that confirms the expertise of Ansaldo Nucleare and its partners. – commented Daniela Gentile, Ansaldo Nucleare‘s CEO – This result rewards the technological development efforts that our company, a frontrunner in this technology, has carried out and strengthened over the years, laying the foundations for future economic support from the European Union for our project».
The lead-cooled fast reactors, which are part of the so-called Generation IV, promise significant advantages over existing technologies, with significantly higher fuel efficiency, high operating temperatures that will allow thermal as well as electrical energy to be supplied, and passive safety systems capable of intervening without human action. This technology will also make it possible to close the fuel cycle, reusing spent fuel from previous generation plants and minimizing the amount of waste.