Boccard and Thorizon sign strategic cooperation to advance decarbonation and molten-salt reactor development in Europe
- Partnership to engineer pump qualification loop and prepare pipework for nuclear demonstrator
- Could contribute directly to reducing carbon emissions in energy-intensive sectors across Europe
Boccard, a leading French industrial systems solutions integrator, and Thorizon, the Dutch-French developer of next-generation molten salt reactors, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen technical and commercial cooperation. The partnership focuses on the development of Thorizon’s Pump Qualification Loop, a key system to validate high-temperature molten-salt pumping technology, and on preparing pipework systems for Thorizon’s Pioneer nuclear demonstrator.
The parties will also explore joint opportunities with industrial end-users across Europe seeking reliable, low-carbon energy for heat and power.
An agreement to advance key technology for deployment
Boccard will support engineering and assembly activities for Thorizon’s pump and pipework systems, drawing on its extensive nuclear experience and pilot-plant capabilities. This collaboration will accelerate the validation and manufacturability of critical molten-salt reactor components, starting with the pump qualification loop and the Pioneer demonstrator.
A shared industrial vision to accelerate decarbonisation
Boccard and Thorizon will also explore opportunities with industrial users seeking clean, high-temperature heat and flexible low-carbon energy. Both companies are committed to European industrial competitiveness, regional collaboration, and the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors such as chemicals and heavy industry.
Philippe De Almeida, Boccard France Nuclear Director, said: ‘Our expertise in digitalised EPC in fluid processes and utilities will help pioneer this molten-salt initiative, alongside Thorizon. Our more than 50 years of ‘alliance for success’ in the nuclear sector will support the development of innovative and digitalised solutions for reactor technologies, that could drive industrial decarbonisation.’
Kiki Lauwers, CEO of Thorizon, said: ‘We are proud to partner with Boccard, whose industrial track record and nuclear experience are outstanding. With this collaboration, we are accelerating our path to demonstrate key subsystems and de-risk our deployment roadmap, building momentum towards Europe’s first molten-salt reactor’.
Why molten-salt reactors matter for safety, cleaner industrial heat and nuclear waste recycling?
Molten-salt reactors open a new chapter for cleaner, dispatchable, and cost-competitive nuclear energy. Operating at low pressure with liquid fuel, they achieve inherent safety through physics principles and can deliver both electricity and 550°C industrial heat, ideal for energy-intensive industries. They also can close the fuel cycle by recycling long-lived nuclear waste into new fuel, drastically reducing its volume and lifetime.
The Boccard-Thorizon alliance aims at paving the way for Europe’s first fully integrated molten-salt reactor demonstrator to advance decarbonation.