newcleo, an innovator in the field of nuclear energy, and VUJE, a.s., the leading Slovak nuclear company, recently signed a cooperation agreement to establish closer collaboration on developing advanced modular reactor (AMR) technologies and advanced fuel cycle solutions in the Slovak Republic.

The agreement aims to foster closer cooperation between nuclear experts from both companies, focusing on newcleo’s lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology and mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. A key goal is exploring the potential re-use of Slovakia’s existing spent nuclear fuel to power the reactors – which is central to newcleo’s aim of closing the nuclear fuel cycle.

Specific areas of cooperation may include the assessment of deploying newcleo’s LFR technology in Slovakia, exploring fuel cycle solutions to potentially re-use Slovakia’s spent nuclear fuel inventory, collaborating on research and development activities and developing skills and capabilities in advanced nuclear technologies.

“Slovakia has more than 50 years of nuclear tradition, know-how, and human capital in highly skilled experts, and VUJE has been the cornerstone of nuclear in this field. We aim to partner with VUJE on further technical development of advanced nuclear reactors which can make use of spent nuclear fuel. This cooperation agreement could further accelerate our R&D and Engineering activities in Europe. I am convinced that this cooperation can bring us closer to a role model solution for many European countries to decarbonise their electricity production effectively and provide a sustainable solution to their stocks of spent nuclear fuel.” Stefano Buono, CEO of newcleo

“VUJE, as the Slovak market leader in nuclear energy and services, is keen to cooperate on further development of state-of-the-art nuclear technologies. We believe advanced modular reactor technologies and closing the fuel cycle have great potential for the future of nuclear energy in Slovakia and Europe. By participating in newcleo’s plans, we hope to help the technology become available sooner.” Matej Korec, CEO of VUJE

This agreement is the first entered into by newcleo’s recently established Slovak subsidiary – newcleo s.r.o, demonstrating the company’s commitment to creating a pan-European project involving multiple countries. It confirms newcleo’s interest in expanding its activities in Slovakia and its intention to further broaden its European-wide research capacities.

newcleo has been in active communication with major players in the Slovakian nuclear industry and the government since 2023. In December 2023, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic and Nuclear Decommissioning Company (JAVYS) to explore collaboration opportunities and further develop advanced modular reactor technologies.

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