The southern Netherlands province of North Brabant is investing nearly €4m ($4.28m) to develop a new generation of molten salt reactors. In December 2024, a consortium of Dutch technology companies – Thorizon, DEMCON, and VDL Group – forged a project agreement to develop small modular reactors (SMRs), with a special focus on molten salt reactors (MSRs).
The agreement seeks to validate the manufacturability, safety, and functionality of key components and non-nuclear subsystems for these reactors. To achieve this, the companies plan to create an advanced testing facility for the development and testing of molten salt reactor technologies. MSRs are designed to offer a safe, scalable, and sustainable solution for energy transition. The PROMOSA project, in which the three companies are collaborating, focuses on developing and testing technologies for a molten salt SMR.
The consortium, along with Eindhoven-based DIFFER (Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research) signed a letter of intent to accelerate SMR technology development in the Netherlands and subsequently submitted an ambitious grant application to the Province of Noord-Brabant with the aim of encouraging innovation and sustainable development in the region.
Commissioner Martijn van Gruijthuijsen said, “This investment does not only offer opportunities for the manufacturing industry in Brabant, but also contributes to an affordable and sustainable energy supply in the future. With our strong high-tech sector and research institutions, we have everything we need to lead this development. A good example of how we in Brabant are working on the smart solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
The Thorizon One reactor, which this project is working toward, has been selected by the European Commission as one of nine spearhead projects for accelerated development of new nuclear reactors. “This European acknowledgement confirms that we in Brabant are at the forefront of this innovative technology. By investing now in knowledge development, our companies will soon be able to play an important role in this growing market,” said Van Gruijthuijsen.
“Thanks to the support of the province, we can take the first steps from the drawing board to the realization of parts together with the Brabant manufacturing industry,” said Kiki Lauwers, CEO of Thorizon. “It’s great to do this as a startup with recognized high-tech companies like the VDL Groep and DEMCON. We also see in the collaboration with DIFFER that Brabant has world-class knowledge and facilities. With these ambitious companies we share a pragmatic attitude, crucial for rapid innovation. We thank the province for the trust and support and look forward to further cooperation in the region.”
The PROMOSA project aims to produce concrete results in the form of working prototypes and a test facility in Brabant within two and a half years. All technologies and facilities will be developed without a nuclear component. The province is contributing 50% of the total project costs of €8m. The remaining funding will come from the companies themselves. Thorizon wants to start building its first reactor in 2030. Companies such as the VDL Groep and DEMCON are contributing through their experience in realising high-tech projects and getting from concept to prototype and series production. The investment is part of the Innovation Coalition “Nuclear Energy for the Future” that the province launched in 2022.
DEMCON, which develops, produces, and supplies technology and innovative products, has offices in Best, Delft, Enschede, Groningen, Leiden, Maastricht, Münster (Germany), Tokyo (Japan), and Singapore. Thorizon, originally a spin-off startup from NRG, has offices in Amsterdam and Lyon. It has formed collaborations with Orano, Tractebel, and EDF, and its project was selected by the European Commission and the French government under the France 2030 investment plan. The VDL Group is an international industrial family-owned company headquartered in the Brainport region in Eindhoven. DIFFER is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).
