Netherlands-based start-up, Thorizon, and Belgium-based engineering and consulting company Tractebel (part of France’s Engie) have signed a strategic three-year partnership to advance Thorizon’ molten salt reactor design. Tractebel will provide engineering services for the Thorizon One molten salt reactor, including support on the conceptual design, computational modelling, cost estimates and design reviews.
Tractebel will help Thorizon develop an advanced modular reactor (AMR) based on molten salt, using used NPP fuel from as an important energy source. The Thorizon One reactor core contains molten salt which acts as both fuel and coolant. The molten salt, given its inherent physical properties, is capable of handling high temperatures and allows low-pressure operation under all circumstances.
The Thorizon One will provide 250MWt of industrial heat, which can be directly used in industrial processes for the chemical industry or hydrogen production. Alternatively, it can produce 100MWe to provide electricity for 250.000 households. The molten salt fuel adopted by Thorizon uses a combination of long-lived elements from reprocessed used fuel and thorium. The reactor will be able to recycle long-lived waste from existing nuclear facilities. The core is composed of a set of cartridges that is replaced every 5-10 years. Thorizon says this offers additional advantages in terms of safety, time to market and costs:
According to Thorizon, the reactor only generates energy when salt is circulated through the cartridges. If the pump stops, the reactor shuts down, making the design “walk-away” safe. The cartridge design enables the use of existing and proven materials and components, minimising development and licensing timelines. Cartridges are efficiently produced in series off-site. They contain all primary systems, together with low-pressure operations, which results in a lean reactor building.
“For several years, Tractebel has been a frontrunner in the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), which we believe will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Vincent Schryvers, Netherlands Business Manager at Tractebel.. “We are now proud to support Thorizon for the development of a Generation IV reactor. This ground-breaking technology will close the fuel cycle and make the circular economy a reality in the nuclear sector. Thanks to its flexibility, this advanced nuclear reactor concept could contribute to addressing the challenges both of industry decarbonisation by providing heat for industrial processes and of energy security by producing electricity for households."
Thorizon CEO Kiki Lauwers noted: “The expertise Tractebel has built while supporting operating nuclear power plants across Europe for decades, and more recently working on multiple small modular and innovative reactor concepts is invaluable for a start-up like ours. The large and experienced team in Belgium is ideally suited to help us make the connection between the Netherlands and France. We very much look forward to working together with the Tractebel team in our offices in Amsterdam and Lyon.” Thorizon is a spin-off from the Nuclear Research and consultancy Group (NRG), which operates the High Flux Reactor in Petten.
Image (L-R): Sander de Groot, Technical Lead & Kiki Lauwers, CEO of Thorizon; Vincent Schryvers, Business Manager of the Netherlands, Denis Dumont, Chief Global Nuclear Officer & Philippe Broquet, Head of Finance, Tractebel at the signing of the agreement
