GlobeNewswire·Oct 30, 2026, 7:00 AM ET

Lightbridge Receives Notice of Allowance for a Korean Patent Covering Its Mixed-Grid Nuclear Fuel Assembly Design

Lightbridge Corporation received a Notification of Patent Grant from the Korean Ministry of Intellectual Property for a nuclear fuel assembly application.
The granted patent covers 17 claims for a fuel assembly featuring a mixed grid pattern that combines two different grid types.
Allowed claims specify a fuel bundle with a circular perimeter suitable for pressurized heavy water reactors like CANDU designs.
Each fuel element possesses a multi-lobed profile with spiral ribs that touch at intervals to secure elements within the assembly.
Dependent claims include bundles of 19 or 61 fuel elements, alternating grid patterns on concentric circles, & combinations with conventional or poison rods.
This application is a divisional of a 2022 patent, broadening protection to any mixed grid pattern without restricting specific shapes like rectangular or triangular grids.
South Korea operates 26 nuclear reactors & plans to increase nuclear power's share of electricity generation from 30.7% in 2023 to 35.2% in 2038.
CEO Seth Grae stated the new patent supports both Lightbridge's light water & CANDU fuel designs in a country that builds & exports its own reactor technology.
Lightbridge maintains an extensive worldwide patent portfolio covering jurisdictions representing the majority of global nuclear generating capacity.
The company has long-term framework agreements with Battelle Energy Alliance for work at Idaho National Laboratory & received DOE funding for fuel development.