CCTE Signs Supply Agreement with BWXT Canada to Advance Commercial Demonstration of ANEEL Fuel

U.S. nuclear fuel company Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) announced on August 3 that it has signed a fuel manufacturing supply agreement with BWXT Canada Ltd. to further refine manufacturing conditions for the commercial demonstration of its ANEEL nuclear fuel platform.

Under the agreement, BWXT Canada will provide qualified fuel assembly hardware for integration with ANEEL fuel pellets, and assemble them into complete, reactor-representative full-scale demonstration fuel assemblies at the Chalk River Laboratories under Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL). CCTE is responsible for providing ANEEL fuel design and material specifications, while CNL will manufacture ANEEL fuel pellets and complete final assembly in accordance with established nuclear industry standards.

CCTE stated that this agreement establishes a clear manufacturing pathway for ANEEL fuel to enter in-reactor testing. The assembled fuel assemblies will be used in a demonstration irradiation program to obtain in-reactor performance data, supporting subsequent regulatory qualification and deployment on compatible reactor platforms. The project leverages existing fuel forms and infrastructure, with the goal of introducing thorium-based fuel into operating reactor units without major reactor modifications.

CCTE CEO and founder Mehul Shah stated that BWXT Canada's long-standing experience in fuel manufacturing and CANDU technology will support the demonstration of ANEEL fuel feasibility in existing reactor systems.

Over the past year, CCTE has completed several technical milestones. The company previously completed accelerated irradiation testing of ANEEL fuel mini-elements at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL), achieving burnup exceeding 60 GWd/tU. The company has also published a peer-reviewed engineering assessment presenting analysis results on the fuel's performance, safety characteristics, and compatibility across multiple reactor applications.

ANEEL is a nuclear fuel platform developed by CCTE, combining thorium and enriched uranium in its design, with potential applications including Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR), Generation IV reactors, and Light Water Reactors (LWR). According to CCTE, in PHWRs, ANEEL can serve as a drop-in replacement for existing fuel without requiring changes to the reactor or core design; in Generation IV and PWR applications, the fuel is also positioned as a potential solution for improving fuel utilization, extending refueling cycles, and reducing long-lived spent fuel generation per unit of electricity produced.