Research & Development

Denmark Takes Step Into Fission Research With Grant For Seaborg Technologies

By David Dalton
31 March 2017

31 Mar (NucNet): Copenhagen-based startup Seaborg Technologies, which is developing an advanced thorium-based molten salt reactor (MSR), has received a grant from Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD), a move that marks the first Danish investment into nuclear fission research since the country’s ban on nuclear power in 1985. IFD is a public funding agency whose mission is to support promising Danish ventures in their early stages. The decision to fund the reactor, known as the Seaborg CUBE-100 (short for Compact Used Fuel BurnEr), is the beginning of the first Danish venture into the development of novel fission reactor concepts, Seaborg said. The company did not disclose details of the grant, but a spokesman told NucNet today it was a relatively modest amount. “At this early stage it provides essential opportunities for us to move ahead and secure intellectual property. The more important aspect is the symbolic value,” the spokesman said. According to Seaborg, MSRs promise to improve on all the areas of nuclear safety that had concerned the Danish public. “This has forced Danes to reconsider their beliefs and has led many to see nuclear power as a viable alternative for combating global warming,” the spokesman said. “A nuanced public debate has resulted, in which the potential advantages of a Danish advanced nuclear reactor industry is being explored.” Seaborg chief executive officer Troels Schönfeldt said that with the funding the company will be able to position itself for the additional investment required to progress towards commercial maturity. Dr Schönfeldt said the company is looking for “visionary investors” with the long-term perspective required to capitalise on advanced nuclear reactors. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report on MSRs that the Seaborg prototype, formerly known as the Seaborg Waste Burner (SWaB), is a 50 MWth single fluid unit. It is graphite moderated and fuelled by a combination of spent nuclear fuel and thorium. The design team is a combination of physicists and chemists from the Niels Bohr Institute and the Technical University of Denmark.

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