First gate review of the EAGLES Consortium
Advancing design & safety for EAGLES-300
Technical requirements and design, project cost assessment, safety approach and fuel qualification are the pillars for the harmonized and synergic advancement of EAGLES‑300, the innovative fourth-generation lead-cooled reactor to be developed in Europe by 2039, and its demonstrators LEANDREA and ALFRED: those were the main topics consolidated during the first joint gate review of the EAGLES Consortium, held in Mol, Belgium, from December 15 to 17.
Progress and alignment of EAGLES-300
The meeting provided a valuable in-person opportunity for design teams from all four partner organizations-Ansaldo Nucleare, ENEA, RATEN, and SCK CEN-who effectively collaborate across borders on a daily basis, to consolidate the consortium’s shared vision and development path. This gate review represented another step in a structured collaboration that builds upon more than two decades of joint European efforts in lead-cooled reactor design, research and development.
Over three days, participants reviewed the status of advancement of the manifold actions being performed under the joint partnership, focusing on requirements, integration, fuel qualification and safety approaches, and cost considerations, acknowledging the pace of progression of the activities, in line with the roadmap, and enabling the next phase to start. The outcomes of the gate review also consolidated the key elements of engagement with the safety authorities of Belgium, Italy and Romania through the IAEA’s extra-budgetary project (EBP) launched in September, as a strategic asset towards the harmonization of the licensing approaches, ensuring a robust foundation for future deployment of EAGLES-300 in Europe.
