Energy: Nuclear, EAGLES–newcleo Alliance on LEANDREA
Brussels, 10 February 2026 – A collaboration agreement was signed today in Brussels between the European EAGLES Consortium – composed of Ansaldo Nucleare and ENEA for Italy, RATEN for Romania, and SCK CEN for Belgium – and newcleo. The agreement, signed during the “Taking the Lead” event dedicated to the EAGLES-300 project and attended by Belgian Energy Minister Mathieu Bihet, concerns the development of LEANDREA, a reactor prototype that will be built by 2034 at the Belgian research institute SCK CEN.
A shared roadmap towards LEANDREA
The EAGLES consortium and newcleo will work together to enhance the efficiency of fast lead-cooled reactor technology development in Europe, contributing to the design and construction of LEANDREA, conceived both as a technological demonstrator and as a test facility for materials and fuels.
Once operational, LEANDREA will enable the testing of new materials and fuels intended for fast reactors, thus supporting the roadmaps of EAGLES and newcleo towards the future commercialization of their respective projects. The EAGLES program follows a stepwise approach, starting with the LEANDREA technological demonstrator to be built in Mol, Belgium, followed by the ALFRED performance demonstrator in Romania, which will pave the way for the commercialization of the EAGLES-300 reactor in 2039.
