Bhardwaj reported in mid-March 2025 that the nuclear power initiative aligns with the Danieli’s vision of providing high-quality green steel. France-based Newcleo has signed a memorandum with Danieli to lay the groundwork for decarbonized steel production through combined electricity and heat from nuclear energy.
Design and drawing of Newcleo's lead-cooled small modular fast reactor.
Newcleo
The memorandum of understanding signed by the two firms aims to integrate Newcleo’s lead-cooled fast reactor – LFR with Danieli’s steelmaking technology. This will enable the production of green steel with nuclear energy production. The partnership aims to leverage the capability of LFRs to provide a combination of electricity and high-temperature thermal energy. This will be used to develop Danieli processes for green steel production.
For example, Danieli Digimelter to competitively melt metallics, the production of green hydrogen to power Energiron direct reduction plants for ore pellet processing, and the use of Danieli hydrogen burners, among others.
Green steel production with nuclear energy
The initiative aligns with Danieli’s vision of providing high-quality green steel and has the potential to contribute to steelmaking in Europe and beyond by providing steelmakers with affordable, abundant, and carbon-free electricity and high-temperature heat through nuclear sources. The two companies acknowledge the opportunity to reach significant milestones in the steel industry’s journey toward decarbonization. They will also work towards reducing energy costs and volatility for the benefit of manufacturers and the clients they serve.
“Danieli is at the forefront of the steelmaking industry’s effort towards decarbonization and net zero, objectives which are ever more entangled with competitiveness and energy costs. Our objective through this collaboration is to provide steel manufacturers with economically viable solutions for the production of green steel,” said Stefano Buono, founder and CEO of Newcleo.
Alessandro Brussi, Chairman of the Board of Danieli, added, “Newcleo is an innovative player in the nuclear energy industry, looking to manufacture Advanced Modular Reactors and closing the fuel cycle like Danieli is doing in the iron and steel to have plant and process with zero impact.”
Brussi further said that a solution to obtain “low-cost fossil free energy is one of the key factors to move a step ahead in the decarbonization of the steel industry.”
Newcleo’s 200 MWe SMR
Newcleo is working on the lead-cooled fast reactors technology for generating nuclear fission energy. The small modular reactor (SMR) concept by the firm is an ultra-compact and transportable 200 MWe module. The company says that its SMRs can be produced in series, with centralized factory production to limit onsite costs. The Generation IV nuclear reactor aims to improve sustainability, safety, reliability, proliferation resistance, and performance.
In December 2024, Newcleo applied to the United Kingdom’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero to enter its lead-cooled small modular reactor for generating fission energy in the generic design assessment (GDA) phase. Earlier last month, it had signed an agreement with Blykalla for the joint research and development of materials for LFRs. The partnership entailed the exchange of materials, results, and associated data to assist the respective R&D programs of each party.
Newcleo also has collaborations with other companies including Fincantieri for naval propulsion, Maire for green chemistry, and Saipem for offshore nuclear applications.
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