French innovative nuclear company Newcleo submits regulatory engagement plan to NRC for U.S. MOX fuel plant

On August 7, 2026, France-based innovative nuclear company Newcleo submitted a Regulatory Engagement Plan (REP) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), paving the way for its proposed mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility in the United States. The REP defines the framework for the company's pre-application phase with the NRC, key regulatory and technical topics, technical document submittals, and an indicative schedule. Previously, Newcleo sent a letter to the NRC on February 23 expressing its intent, and initiated pre-application interactions in March, engaging with the NRC on the design and safety approach for the LFR-AS-200 lead-cooled fast reactor and the associated MOX plant; last month, it had already submitted the REP for the LFR-AS-200 (200 MWe commercial version).

Newcleo stated that this submission is "an important milestone in establishing an advanced nuclear fuel source for advanced modular reactors." CEO Stefano Buono said the initiative leverages the experience of a hundred engineers, with the goal of converting the spent fuel burden into a domestic resource, closing the nuclear fuel cycle, and enhancing energy independence. In July, the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR) issued an opinion on the safety approach for its French MOX plant, concluding that the current safety orientation is acceptable and will help it obtain a construction license. Meanwhile, Newcleo is advancing the FASTER engineering test center in Chusclan, France, accelerating the development of a fuel pilot line in a non-nuclear environment, with prototypes and mock-ups already deployed for process validation; it has also initiated site selection and public consultation for a MOX pilot line in Nogent-sur-Seine.

Newcleo's delivery roadmap is as follows: completion of a non-nuclear lead-cooled fast reactor prototype in Italy this year; first reactor in France to operate as early as 2032; and a final investment decision for the first commercial power plant around 2029. The company is also directly investing in the construction of a uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) plant to fuel its reactors. Its U.S. MOX plant REP runs in parallel with its domestic French MOX plans, constituting Newcleo's "reactor + fuel" dual-track licensing pace.