The European Commission has been supporting the MYRRHA project since the very beginning. In 2010, through its Strategy Forum on Research infrastructures (ESFRI), the Commission put MYRRHA on the high priority list of large research infrastructures for energy. By choosing the multifunctional Belgian installation, Europe makes sure to stay at the cutting edge of research in energy security and in fighting climate change.
The European Commission has been supporting the MYRRHA project since the very beginning. In 2010, through its Strategy Forum on Research infrastructures (ESFRI), the Commission put MYRRHA on the high priority list of large research infrastructures for energy. By choosing the multifunctional Belgian installation, Europe makes sure to stay at the cutting edge of research in energy security and in fighting climate change.
The task of these future large scientific equipment facilities, which will be built in Europe in the next few years, will be to contribute to finding safe and sustainable solutions to the major social, economic and environmental challenges. These are the challenges our societies have to face in terms of production and use of energy resources.
"MYRRHA received a double European recognition. Thanks to its position as a large scientific installation on the ESFRI Roadmap 2010 on the one hand and to its technology for fission reactors (an alloy of lead and bismuth) being chosen amongst three technologies for the European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII) on the other hand. Europe wishes to speed up the development and roll-out of low-carbon (CO2) technologies on the continent," explains Hamid Aït Abderrahim, Deputy Director-General at SCK•CEN.
This week starts a review of all priority projects, as it is the case every two years. At the end of 2017, the decision for MYRRHA will be taken and the project will either stay on the priority list until 2020 or get the Landmark status considering phase 1 will have been started and the implementation of the project will be in progress.
"Belgium is more determined than ever to stay at the vanguard of nuclear technological innovation. As proven by the MYRRHA project, we continuously invest in nuclear research to maintain and strengthen our expertise and our infrastructures. The technological solutions offered by MYRRHA are paramount to the next generations. They will help reduce nuclear waste ecological footprint and guarantee the safe production of medical radioisotopes for everyone." claims Marie Christine Marghem, Minister of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development.
