Broad Support for Thorizon’s Molten Salt Reactor Demonstrator in the Netherlands

Broad support announced at Made for Nuclear

Thorizon today announced broad industrial and regional support for the realisation of the Thorizon Pioneer, the first demonstrator / research reactor for next-generation molten salt reactors (MSRs) to be built in the Netherlands. The announcement was made at the Made for Nuclear event on 24 November, where Thorizon and a wide network of partners signed a joint Ambition Agreement to accelerate the project. The coalition brings together leading Dutch industrial companies including VDL Groep, nuclear operator EPZ and engineering and construction firm Haskoning, supported by a strong ecosystem of universities, knowledge institutes, manufacturing, energy and high-tech service providers. Several Dutch provinces have confirmed their engagement and are now assessing potential sites for the demonstrator, as well as opportunities to establish an innovation hub around the facility with testing capabilities for materials and components.

A demonstrator to accelerate learning and licensing

The nuclear demonstrator (Thorizon Pioneer) is part of the Thorizon roadmap to industrialize the most promising nuclear technology. This facility will be a smaller, non-commercial version of the Thorizon reactor focused on validating the reactor core without electricity production. The Thorizon Pioneer will be the first nuclear molten salt installation running in Europe, providing unique opportunities for Research and Development. It is designed to demonstrate Thorizon’s ability to design, license and build a nuclear installation. The Pioneer will also enable the qualification of supply-chain partners, testing of key materials and components, which is central to lowering construction and operating costs in the full-scale reactor.

“The Netherlands has a great and entrepreneurial manufacturing and services industry, skills we intend to combine with the R&D expertise and manufacturing expertise in nuclear. We can build on the knowledge of the Pallas medical isotope reactor and ongoing research at TU Delft and Differ. We hope to continue the strong cooperation in Europe to make this project a success and thank our partners and the provinces involved for this opportunity.” said Kiki Lauwers, CEO of Thorizon.

Molten salt: a clean, safe and cost-competitive energy system

Molten salt reactors are strongly recognized as one of the most promising advanced nuclear technologies from both a safety and economic perspective. Their liquid fuel-salt mixture allows operation at low pressure and creates a self-stabilizing core that enhances intrinsic safety. The design eliminates much of the complexity and cost of high-pressure systems found in conventional reactor types and enables simpler, more modular construction.

MSRs can dramatically increase the energy extracted from uranium resources by recycling long-lived waste from spent nuclear fuel and enabling future use of thorium. This efficient fuel use directly improves cost competitiveness over the full lifecycle while increasing energy-independence from other countries. Combined with their ability to deliver high-temperature heat, MSRs offer a pathway to reliable and affordable industrial heat and electricity, particularly for off-grid or hard-to-decarbonize industrial clusters where stable, low-cost heat is essential.

Next steps: siting, licensing and financing

To prepare for European licensing, Thorizon is engaged in a joint preparatory safety review with the Dutch, French and Belgium nuclear safety authorities. The next major milestone is securing a suitable site. Over the coming months, Thorizon will work with several provinces and others to evaluate potential locations, ideally one already licensed for research-reactor activities. In parallel, the company is advancing the design of the Pioneer, expanding engineering collaboration with industrial partners and finalising the financing strategy for the demonstrator.

The project will be supported through a combination of private investment and public funding. Thorizon is backed by Positron Ventures, Invest-NL and the regional development agencies of Zeeland and North Holland, and has secured grants from the French government, the European Commission’s Joint Transition Fund in Zeeland and the Province of Brabant. The initiative is also prioritised by the European Commission within the EU SMR Alliance, reflecting its strategic relevance for Europe’s future cost-competitive clean-energy supply.

For more information about this press release, the parties involved, and the underlying developments, please contact Margriet Hooghiemstra at info@thorizon.com or +31 (0)6 1398 7316.