Pictured (Front Row L-R): Milan Shah, Chief Operations Officer, CCTE; Mehul Shah Chief Executive Officer, CCTE; Dr. Peter Elder, Chief Scientific Officer, CNL; and, Justin Hannah, Vice-President, Business Development, CNL flanked by members of the CNL and CCTE crew.
CHICAGO, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) announce an settlement to fabricate demonstration irradiation (DI) bundles of ANEEL™ gas. This milestone follows profitable completion of a collaborative Canadian Nuclear Research Initiative (CNRI) project which supplied mannequin verification and validation of the pc codes and evaluation strategies used within the design and security evaluation of ANEEL™ gas.
Advancing Fuel Performance and Testing
DI bundles are prototypic (full-scale) ANEEL™ gas bundles matching precise reactor gas bundles designed for interface and irradiation testing. Manufactured by CNL on the Chalk River Laboratories, these bundles will allow CCTE to conduct demonstration irradiation which is able to present sensible, in-reactor knowledge for to assist future qualification and potential deployment of ANEEL™ gas in CANDU reactors and different Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). CNL will lead the event, qualification, and manufacturing of ANEEL™ gas below Canadian Standard Association (CSA) necessities for manufacturing nuclear gas. This will permit for a DI that would supply extra reassurance to the designer, the utility, the producer, and the regulator, of acceptable gas efficiency and the primary instance of operational expertise for a brand new gas design.
“This milestone advances ANEEL™ from validated models to an engineered, fleet-compatible fuel design,” mentioned Mehul Shah, Founder and CEO of Clean Core Thorium Energy. “The fabrication of reactor-representative bundles with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, followed by CCTE’s subsequent irradiation, will position us to generate the performance data necessary to support regulatory review and future fleet deployment. It marks a foundational step toward commercial readiness.”
“CNL has maintained core capabilities in fuel research, development and fabrication enabling us to take on the manufacturing of novel and next generation fuels,” explains Dr. Monica Regalbuto, Vice-President, Science & Technology. “We are pleased to be working with CCTE and to apply the deep expertise of the labs to this exciting advanced fuel project.”
A Comprehensive Development Roadmap
This initiative is a core part of CCTE’s broader ANEEL™ gas growth programme, which incorporates:
- Model Validation: Successful mannequin and evaluation methodology validation at CNL.
- Irradiation Testing : Accelerated burnup qualification at Idaho National Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor, focusing on burnup ranges exceeding 60 GWd/t/MTU
- Regulatory Progress: Completion of a Phase 1 pre-licensing vendor design evaluation with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
Together, these actions assist the continued qualification and business readiness of ANEEL™ gas for use in present CANDU reactor and PHWR designs.
About ANEEL ™ Fuel
ANEEL™ is CCTE’s patented nuclear gas know-how combining thorium with enriched uranium. The gas retains the identical exterior geometry as present gas for PHWRs and CANDU reactors, together with 19- and 37-element designs. This permits for integration into present reactor fleets with out main reactor {hardware} modifications or core design. ANEEL™ is designed to attain increased burnup and improved gas utilisation in a once-through gas cycle, with the potential to scale back long-lived spent gas volumes per unit of vitality generated and strengthen proliferation resistance.
About Clean Core Thorium Energy
Clean Core Thorium Energy is a nuclear gas firm exploring thorium-driven nuclear improvements. Clean Core’s patented nuclear gas know-how (referred to as the ANEEL™ gas) is comprised of thorium and enriched uranium (LEU+ to HALEU), which may enhance the protection and cost-efficiency of pressurized heavy-water reactors. The ANEEL™ gas is a novel resolution to security, waste, and proliferation considerations in as we speak’s nuclear vegetation.
Learn extra at https://cleancore.energy/. Follow us on social media: LinkedIn and X.
Milan Shah
Chief Operating Officer
[email protected]
About CNL
As Canada’s premier nuclear science and know-how laboratory and dealing below the route of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), CNL is a world chief within the growth of modern nuclear science and know-how services and products. CNL fulfils three strategic priorities of nationwide significance – restoring and defending the setting, advancing clear vitality applied sciences, and contributing to the well being of Canadians.
By leveraging the property owned by AECL, CNL additionally serves because the nexus between authorities, the nuclear business, the broader personal sector, and the educational neighborhood. CNL works in collaboration with these sectors to advance modern Canadian services and products in the direction of real-world use, together with carbon-free vitality, most cancers therapies and different therapies, non-proliferation applied sciences and waste administration options.
To study extra about CNL, please go to www.cnl.ca.
Philip Kompass
Director, Corporate Communications
1-866-886-2325
[email protected]
A photograph accompanying this announcement is offered at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8e0a50b-9cd3-40dd-a0ae-f482ada0faf3
