A European consortium whose goal is to develop Eagles-300, a next-generation lead-cooled small modular reactor (SMR) that could be commercialised and deployed globally in 2039, has signed an agreement with three regulators to officially begin an international pre-licensing initiative.

The Eagles consortium signed the agreement the nuclear regulators of Belgium (Fanc), Italy (Isin), and Romania (CNCAN).

The project is the first pilot project under the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Nuclear Harmonisation and Standardisation Initiative, which aims to advance the harmonisation and standardisation of SMR design, construction, regulatory and industrial approaches.