By accelerating fuel design readiness and preparing for fully European manufacturing, the SAVE project aims to strengthen long-term energy security in Europe and Ukraine. The initiative brings together 17 partners from 8 European countries, including nuclear utilities, technical safety organizations, research entities, industrial actors, and universities.

This collaborative effort not only supports the development of advanced nuclear fuel but also fosters European cooperation in a critical sector. As Europe navigates the complexities of its energy future, the SAVE project stands as a testament to the region’s commitment to innovation, security, and sustainability in nuclear energy.

The main objectives are:

• Deploy a large qualification campaign at European facilities to assess the performance of the new, safer and sovereign VVER-440 fuel assembly design.
• Prepare inreactor qualification with mutualised LFAs (Lead Fuel Assemblies) programs.
• Enable 100% European manufacturing route and address the needs on Core Monitoring Systems.
• Ensure European nuclear energy sovereignty in the mid and long term.

By fostering collaboration and innovation, SAVE seeks to strengthen Europe’s energy sovereignty, to reduce external dependencies, and to support the transition to carbon-free energy production. This project represents a significant step towards a more resilient and independent nuclear energy sector in Europe and Ukraine.

The project is expected to achieve European nuclear energy sovereignty within six years of completion, supporting Lead Fuel Assembly programs, advance technological readiness and manufacturing capabilities, and help establishing a lasting European knowledge base and expertise network.

SAVE is a steppingstone to ensure the nuclear energy sovereignty of Europe in the mid and long term. The vision of the project is to lay the foundations of fuel assemblies relying exclusively on European sovereign technologies in VVER-440 reactors of the EU Member States and Ukraine.

SAVE will undertake all necessary activities to enhance European capabilities in regards to VVER-440 fuel design. Details of the research, results and outlook will be available in its dedicated space and will be the subject of scientific publications and presentations at thematic conferences.

Framatome, CEA, MVM PAKS NPP, BME, CEZ AS, UJP PRAHA a.s., SKODA JS a.s., UJV REZ, VTT, VUJE, LLC ENERGORISK, FRAMATOME GMBH, SE-A.S, EK, SSP GmbH, FORTUM, ABL

4 years

Total budget of >3M€ including 1,5M€ Net EU contribution

Technical Project Leader:

Michel-Claude Cacheux
michel-claude.cacheux@framatome.com

This project has received funding from the EURATOM research and Innovation programme 2021-2025 under Grant Agreement No 101059543.