Lightbridge Corporation (NASDAQ: LTBR) announced that the European Patent Office issued a Notice of Allowance for European Patent Application No. 22777419.7, titled "Multi-Zone Fuel Element." The patent covers the company's nuclear fuel element design featuring multiple radial zones with variable thicknesses along the axial direction.

The European allowance extends intellectual property protection across 39 contracting states, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and major European nuclear markets. The patent covers fuel elements manufactured through additive manufacturing, which enables production of complex multi-material zone architectures not achievable through conventional fuel fabrication techniques.

The allowed claims cover a fuel element comprising three distinct radial zones of different materials: a first zone extending along the central axis, a second surrounding zone, and a third outermost zone. The thickness of both the second and third zones in the radial direction varies along the axial direction. Manufacturing method claims cover the use of additive manufacturing to produce this multi-zone architecture using metallic, ceramic, or cermet fuel systems.

"Receiving this allowance from the European Patent Office is an important validation of the technical depth and novelty of Lightbridge Fuel," said Seth Grae, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lightbridge Corporation. "Europe is home to a significant installed base of nuclear generating capacity, and the countries and utilities advancing nuclear energy as part of their clean energy programs represent a natural market for Lightbridge Fuel."

The variable zone thickness enables engineers to tailor the radial and axial neutron flux profile within a single element, supporting optimization of reactor performance, safety margin management, and fissile material efficiency throughout the fuel cycle, according to the company's statement.