Lightbridge Corporation, a leading innovator of advanced nuclear fuel designs and provider of nuclear energy consulting services to commercial and governmental organizations, announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) to explore nuclear fuel collaboration opportunities. Under the terms of the MOA, Lightbridge and KAERI will explore collaborative opportunities in pre-irradiation examination of the Lightbridge-designed metallic fuel samples and other areas. As part of the planned loop irradiation experiments in the Advanced Test Reactor in the United States and MIR research reactor in Russia, Lightbridge plans to conduct pre-irradiation examination of metallic fuel samples prior to their insertion for irradiation testing.
"This is an exciting development for Lightbridge as we and KAERI plan to collaborate in a key area," said Jim Malone, Chief Nuclear Fuel Development Officer of Lightbridge. "KAERI is interested in Lightbridge-designed metallic fuel technology and its potential application to Korean OPR-1000 and APR-1400 reactors."
KAERI has a strong history of research and development in various nuclear-related fields. The Institute is conducting research and development on fuel concepts, including technology options with the goal of reducing the fuel operating temperature and potentially increasing the burn-up. Under the MOA, the two companies will explore ways in which they might be able to collaborate to further enhance Lightbridge's nuclear fuel testing plans.
