Austria's Emerald Horizon and Netherlands' VDL Launch Construction of SMRX Small Modular Reactor High-Temperature Loop

On September 8, 2026, Emerald Horizon AG, headquartered in Graz, Austria, announced that it will partner with the Netherlands-based VDL Groep to commence construction of a megawatt-scale power loop for the SMRX small modular reactor in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Florian Wagner, founder and CEO of Emerald Horizon AG, and Markjan Vermeer, General Manager of Technology & Development at VDL ETG, have signed a joint memorandum on contract operations implementation at the Emerald LaboraTHorium laboratory in Graz. This also marks the first joint public appearance of the two parties in Austria.

According to Emerald Horizon, SMRX is a modular subcritical thorium-based energy system. The "loop" under construction is used to validate the high-temperature circuit for liquid carrier salt circulation. The system operates at atmospheric pressure with process temperatures reaching up to 900 degrees Celsius. The company states that the loop performs heat transfer functions and is a critical component of the SMRX system.

Emerald Horizon stated that four hardware versions of the SMRX loop have completed testing at the Graz laboratory, and the relevant R&D results and measurement data have been transferred to VDL. Mario J. Müller, Vice President of R&D at Emerald Horizon, stated that the tests covered the performance of materials, pumps, seals, and measurement technology under continuous operating conditions, at temperatures identical to those expected during future reactor operation phases. The company believes that long-term high-temperature load data will be used to evaluate changes in materials, flow characteristics, and heat transfer performance over multi-decade operating cycles.

Under the division of responsibilities, Graz remains Emerald Horizon's global R&D center and retains system leadership; VDL, as a tier-one industrial partner, is responsible for converting the research outcomes developed in Graz into industrially manufacturable component designs, and participates in joint development, joint engineering, and series production preparation. VDL ETG stated that its work focuses include engineering design, manufacturing, assembly, supply chain organization, and capability building in related technologies such as liquid salts, electrochemistry, and advanced materials.

VDL Groep is a family-owned industrial company headquartered in the Brainport region of Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Founded in 1953, it employs over 14,000 people across 20 countries. VDL ETG, which is involved in the SMRX project, originated from the former Philips mechanical manufacturing business and was acquired by VDL in 2006. It has long served the high-precision manufacturing and semiconductor equipment supply chain.

Regarding the SMRX roadmap, Emerald Horizon stated that its DUALstorePLUS hybrid energy storage system is now open for ordering, the E-store battery module is commercially available, and the CALstore high-temperature thermal storage unit is planned for delivery starting in 2028. The fully integrated SMRX prototype is scheduled for launch in 2029, with industrial series production slated to begin in 2031. The company also noted that these timelines are targets based on current project planning.

According to design parameters disclosed by Emerald Horizon, a single SMRX module adopts a standardized containerized design, delivering 25 MW of thermal power and approximately 10 MW of electrical power. It is designed for 20 years of operation without refueling, with system capacity scalable from 10 MW to gigawatt levels. Related energy sales contracts may have terms of up to 20 years.

Due to Austria's nuclear energy legal restrictions, SMRX will not be constructed or operated in Austria. Emerald Horizon stated that the company complies with Austria's 1978 Atomic Energy Control Act, selling only the non-nuclear DUALstorePLUS energy storage system in Austria. SMRX construction and operation will be carried out internationally, and all work at the Graz laboratory is conducted within the existing regulatory licensing framework and does not involve reactor operation.

Emerald Horizon also stated that the particle accelerator serves as the primary physical switch in the SMRX conceptual design, and further information will be provided at the next press conference.

Emerald Horizon was founded in 2019 and has subsidiaries in Slovakia and the United States. It participates in the second and sixth technical working groups of the European Small Modular Reactor Alliance initiated by the European Commission. The company has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since June 26, 2026, under the ticker symbol SMRX. According to disclosed information, its market capitalization has risen to approximately EUR 1.2 billion since listing.

Currently, no commercial thorium-based molten salt reactor is in operation worldwide. Information regarding SMRX output power, operational lifespan, and commissioning timelines is based solely on disclosures from Emerald Horizon and has not yet been independently verified.