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Lightbridge Corporation Enters into Engineering Contract with Stern Laboratories
Thermal Hydraulic Test Program to Support U.S. Licensing of Lightbridge Fuel™ for Light Water Reactors RESTON, Va. and HAMILTON, Ontario, March 18, 2026
About this update from Lightbridge Corporation
[{"type":"text","content":"Thermal Hydraulic Test Program to Support U.S. Licensing of Lightbridge Fuel™ for Light Water Reactors\nRESTON, Va. and HAMILTON, Ontario, March 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lightbridge Corporation (“Lightbridge” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: LTBR), an advanced nuclear fuel technology company, and Stern Laboratories Inc. (“Stern Labs”), a leading employee-owned Canadian provider of specialized nuclear experimental services and tooling to the nuclear industry, today announced that Lightbridge has entered into an initial engineering contract and statement of work with Stern Labs to assess the thermal and hydraulic (“TH”) performance of Lightbridge Fuel for use in Light Water Reactors (“LWRs”). Under the terms of the agreement, Stern Labs will provide laboratory services at its test facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to assess the TH performance of Lightbridge Fuel for LWRs. The work will be carried out in multiple phases, including: Phase 1: Design and fabrication of an electrically heated fuel simulator; acceptance testing; and single-rod critical heat flux (CHF) investigation (steam-water, up to 1,450 psia);Phase 2: Nine-rod critical heat flux investigation, steam-water at 600 to 2200 psia; andPhase 3: A multi-year TH test program to support the licensing of Lightbridge Fuel for the U.S. domestic LWR fleet. Phase 1 is estimated to take approximately one year to complete. Birol Aktas, Manager of the Thermal Hydraulics and Safety Analysis Group at Lightbridge, stated, “This contract with Stern Labs represents a significant step forward in our fuel qualification program. Stern Labs’ expertise in manufacturing electrically heated nuclear fuel simulators and performing full-scale CHF and component qualification tests makes them an ideal partner. Data from this program will demonstrate the improved thermal margins of Lightbridge Fuel in LWRs and support U.S. licensing for commercial deployment.” Gordon Hadaller, President of Stern Laboratories Inc., stated, “We are pleased to partner with Lightbridge on this important experimental program. Stern Labs has a long history of providing high-quality laboratory services to the global nuclear industry, and we look forward to applying our expertise to assess the performance of Lightbridge’s innovative fuel technology.” About Stern Laboratories Inc.Stern Laboratories Inc. is an employee-owned...