The Swedish Energy Agency has awarded SEK37m ($3.8m) to Blykalla and five research partners from its newly launched BAMSE (Bränsletillverkning och Avancerade Material för Svensk Energiproduktion – Fuel production and Advanced Materials for Swedish Energy Production) initiative. This is the first major grant under the government’s expanded public funding for nuclear, announced in the 2025 budget. Some SEK600m is planned over four years to support deployment of innovative advanced reactor projects.
The Blykalla-led consortium includes KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Luleå University of Technology, University West, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, and SWERIM. The consortium aims to strengthen Sweden’s position in next-generation nuclear technologies and establish a foundation for industrial deployment. The project is structured as a focused 12-month effort to address key technical challenges in the development of lead-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs).
Blykalla founded in 2013, is a spin-off from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Its SMR prototype SEALER (Swedish Advanced Lead-cooled Reactor) design is a fast compact reactor with passive safety. Each reactor will have a 55 MWe capacity, which can be increased by installing multiple units at the same location. The reactor is designed with the smallest possible core that can achieve criticality in a fast spectrum using 19.9% enriched nitride fuel.
The work will span three core areas: the industrialisation of corrosion-resistant materials, including alumina-forming steels produced through additive manufacturing and advanced coating techniques; commercialisation of specialised fuels for optimal performance in LFRs; and the evaluation and testing of instrumentation and control systems.
The project will focus on both structural and fuel-related materials, including Blykalla’s proprietary corrosion-tolerant alloys and commercial FeCrAl variants for use in lead-cooled environments. Manufacturing techniques such as powder metallurgy, hot isostatic pressing (HIP), high-velocity air fuel (HVAF) spraying, and plasma spraying will be evaluated. In parallel, the consortium will develop protective coatings, standardided testing methods, and qualification processes for future licensing and production.
“This type of targeted funding is exactly what’s needed to move from R&D to industrial delivery,” said Blykalla CEO Jacob Stedman, of. “We’re proud to lead this effort with Sweden’s top research institutions and take a real step toward commercializing next-generation nuclear.”
In February, Blykalla was also selected for funding by the European Union’s European Innovation Council’s Accelerator Programme. Out of 1,211 applicants, 71 companies were selected for support. Funding for Blykalla comprised a €2.5m ($2.6m) grant and €15m in equity investment.
