Clean Core Thorium Energy (Clean Core) recently announced successful completion of the Phase 1 pre-licensing Vendor Design Review (VDR) process with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). CNSC is the regulatory authority for Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors. Clean Core has been actively involved with Canada’s nuclear industry with their patented fuel technology, the ANEEL™ fuel. In the completion of Phase 1 and the associated assessment report, no issues were identified by the CNSC that could raise a fundamental barrier to the licensing of the ANEEL™ fuel in Canada.
The ANEEL™ fuel is made of thorium and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). It was developed for use in pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactors. This fuel has the capability to significantly improve performance with existing proven heavy water reactor systems. It accomplishes this by leveraging thorium’s inherently superior nuclear, thermal and physical properties while retaining the same external dimensions and configuration design as in the currently used Natural Uranium (NU) fuel bundles. Without any significant modifications to the reactor being required, the replacement of the currently utilized NU fuel bundles with Clean Core’s ANEEL™ fuel bundles can reduce life-cycle operating costs and waste volumes. They can also increase safety and accident tolerance, and result in additional proliferation resistance.
Clean Core has been involved with CNSC since 2022. This includes submissions across nine focus areas in the review, building a licensing basis and safety case for the ANEEL™ fuel. The successful completion of the Phase 1 pre-licensing marks a major milestone for the company and nuclear industry. The ANEEL™ fuel is the first thorium-based fuel for CANDU reactors to successfully complete this phase of the CNSC pre-licensing process for new fuel designs. The pre-licensing process provided an opportunity for Clean Core to show understanding and compliance with Canadian licensing requirements and seek detailed feedback ahead of a formal license application.
The CNSC concluded in the Executive Summary of assessment report, “Overall, CCTE generally understands and has correctly interpreted the high-level intent of the CNSC’s regulatory requirements as applicable to fuel design and qualification. The findings documented within this report are foreseen to be resolvable.” The Executive Summary will be made available publicly on the CNSC’s website in the near future.
Mehul Shah is the CEO and Founder of Clean Core. He said, “The work performed through the VDR and our engagements with the CNSC highlights Clean Core’s regulatory and commercial readiness. This is a critical step forward for our ANEEL™ fuel technology and in advancing nuclear power generation across Canada and globally.”
Clean Core signed a Strategic Partnership Project Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy. They will begin their irradiation testing and qualification in the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Labs in April 2024 to achieve planned burnup targets of up to 60 giga-watt days per ton. Clean Core has been in actively collaborating and engaging with key industry players including regulators, utilities, and suppliers to achieve a successful commercialization of the ANEEL™ fuel by 2026.