Danieli and Newcleo sign MoU for nuclear steel plant

The French company Newcleo has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Italian Danieli Group, a designer and manufacturer of machinery and equipment for the steel industry, for constructing integrated plants for the production and processing of steel. These plants will be based on fast neutron AMRs designed by Newcleo. The MoU will enable the partners to assess co-investment prospects in developing small modular reactors (SMRs) in Italy over the forthcoming decade. The project, which could be developed at a site in Friuli Venezia Giulia, involves the implementation of integrated solutions for the production of steel without using fossil fuels, termed ‘green steel.’ The objective is to furnish steel producers with electricity and high-temperature heat at competitive prices and without carbon dioxide emissions by leveraging a highly innovative nuclear technology, powered by molten lead cooling. The innovative technology utilises high-energy modular SMR/AMR fast neutron nuclear reactors, which permit the use of low-enriched nuclear fuel, thereby contributing to the decarbonisation process of the Italian steel industry. Presently, SMRs, categorised as fourth-generation nuclear reactors, are regarded as the sole solution for providing large-scale energy that is both stable and independent of environmental or atmospheric factors.