CCTE & CNL Initiate Fabrication of Thorium-Based ANEEL Fuel for Commercial Reactor Demonstration

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 team.

CHICAGO, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) announce an agreement to manufacture demonstration irradiation (DI) bundles of ANEEL fuel. This milestone follows successful completion of a collaborative Canadian Nuclear Research Initiative (CNRI) project which provided model verification and validation of the computer codes and analysis methods used in the design and safety analysis of ANEEL fuel.

Advancing Fuel Performance and Testing

DI bundles are prototypic (full-scale) ANEEL fuel bundles matching actual reactor fuel bundles designed for interface and irradiation testing. Manufactured by CNL at the Chalk River Laboratories, these bundles will enable CCTE to conduct demonstration irradiation which will provide practical, in-reactor data for to support future qualification and potential deployment of ANEEL fuel in CANDU reactors and other Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). CNL will lead the development, qualification, and manufacturing of ANEEL fuel under Canadian Standard Association (CSA) requirements for manufacturing nuclear fuel. This will allow for a DI that would provide additional reassurance to the designer, the utility, the manufacturer, and the regulator, of acceptable fuel performance and the first example of operational experience for a new fuel design.

This milestone advances ANEEL from validated models to an engineered, fleet-compatible fuel design, said Mehul Shah, Founder and CEO of Clean Core Thorium Energy. The fabrication of reactor-representative bundles with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, followed by CCTEs 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 component of CCTEs broader ANEEL fuel development programme, which includes:

• Model Validation: Successful model and analysis method validation at CNL.
• Irradiation Testing: Accelerated burnup qualification at Idaho National Laboratorys Advanced Test Reactor, targeting burnup levels exceeding 60 GWd/t/MTU
• Regulatory Progress: Completion of a Phase 1 pre-licensing vendor design review with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
  

Together, these activities support the ongoing qualification and commercial readiness of ANEEL fuel for use in existing CANDU reactor and PHWR designs.

About ANEEL Fuel

ANEEL is CCTEs patented nuclear fuel technology combining thorium with enriched uranium. The fuel retains the same external geometry as existing fuel for PHWRs and CANDU reactors, including 19- and 37-element designs. This allows for integration into current reactor fleets without major reactor hardware modifications or core design. ANEEL is designed to achieve higher burnup and improved fuel utilisation in a once-through fuel cycle, with the potential to reduce long-lived spent fuel volumes per unit of energy generated and strengthen proliferation resistance.

About Clean Core Thorium Energy

Clean Core Thorium Energy is a nuclear fuel company exploring thorium-driven nuclear innovations. Clean Cores patented nuclear fuel technology (called the ANEEL fuel) is comprised of thorium and enriched uranium (LEU+ to HALEU), which can improve the safety and cost-efficiency of pressurized heavy-water reactors. The ANEEL fuel is a novel solution to safety, waste, and proliferation concerns in todays nuclear plants.

Learn more at https://cleancore.energy/. Follow us on social media: LinkedIn and X.

Milan Shah
Chief Operating Officer
info@cleancore.energy

About CNL

As Canadas premier nuclear science and technology laboratory and working under the direction of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), CNL is a world leader in the development of innovative nuclear science and technology products and services. CNL fulfils three strategic priorities of national importance restoring and protecting the environment, advancing clean energy technologies, and contributing to the health of Canadians.

By leveraging the assets owned by AECL, CNL also serves as the nexus between government, the nuclear industry, the broader private sector, and the academic community. CNL works in collaboration with these sectors to advance innovative Canadian products and services towards real-world use, including carbon-free energy, cancer treatments and other therapies, non-proliferation technologies and waste management solutions.

To learn more about CNL, please visit www.cnl.ca. 

Philip Kompass
Director, Corporate Communications
1-866-886-2325
media@cnl.ca

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8e0a50b-9cd3-40dd-a0ae-f482ada0faf3