Tuesday, 25 February 2025
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The memorandum of understanding between Newcleo and ENEC was one of several agreements signed between Italy and the UAE on 24 February during the Italy-UAE Business Forum in Rome. It was signed in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Under the MoU, the partners will collaborate to explore opportunities to work together to support the advancement of lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) projects and the development of strategies for managing the full life of the reactors, and the closure of the nuclear fuel cycle for European projects. This will include identifying areas of potential collaboration in investment and deployment of Newcleo’s existing projects in Europe, and for the MENA region, to examine how the LFR reactor technology could support the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate projects, such as data centres, off-grid applications and hydrogen production.
In addition, the companies will look at opportunities for knowledge transfer through collaboration on innovative approaches to capacity-building programmes and hands-on-training programmes using research reactors and operational facilities.
“The Memo aligns with ENEC’s growth plans in new and advanced nuclear energy technology investment and deployment, combining ENEC’s operational expertise with Newcleo’s groundbreaking technology thus potentially creating significant value for both organisations and the broader energy landscape,” they said in a joint statement.
“ENEC’s signing with Newcleo today will strengthen our businesses through collaboration and shared expertise,” said ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi. “Having successfully brought Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant to full operations last year, this agreement presents a unique opportunity to leverage our capabilities in nuclear development and operations while exploring cutting-edge technologies that enhance our ADVANCE Program for SMRs and advanced reactors.
“This marks a significant step in ENEC’s journey to become a global partner of transformation, committed to enhancing energy security, driving economic resilience, and contributing to a sustainable future through safe and reliable civil nuclear solutions.”
Stefano Buono, founder and CEO of Newcleo, said: “We are proud to have a chance to collaborate with ENEC, both on UAE’s home market, the region and our own European projects, to deploy the next generation of nuclear technology. After the successful management of the Barakah project in UAE, that demonstrated how large nuclear projects can be delivered on time and on budget, ENEC is our ideal partner to explore the use of Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) for the energy-consuming industry.
“This Memorandum combines ENEC’s operational expertise with Newcleo’s groundbreaking technology by creating significant value. It is also testament to the importance of AMRs to decarbonise the world’s energy system. Our joint effort will create opportunities for a new model for cooperation between public and private nuclear energy companies, which could one day be exported beyond our respective markets.”
According to Paris-headquartered Newcleo’s delivery roadmap, the first non-nuclear pre-cursor prototype of its LFR is expected to be ready by 2026 in Italy, the first reactor operational in France by the end of 2031, while the final investment decision for the first commercial power plant is expected around 2029.
