Lightbridge gets notice of allowance from European Patent Office

Lightbridge (LTBR)announced that the European Patent Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for European Patent Application No. 22777419.7, titled “Multi-Zone Fuel Element.” The allowed patent covers Lightbridge’s proprietary nuclear fuel element design, featuring multiple radial zones with variable thicknesses along the axial direction, enabling precise control of neutron flux distribution throughout the fuel element’s operational lifetime. The European allowance extends intellectual property protection for a core element of Lightbridge’s fuel technology across 39 contracting states, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and all major European nuclear markets. The patent covers fuel elements manufactured via additive manufacturing, a process that enables the production of complex multi-material zone architectures that are unachievable through conventional fuel fabrication techniques. Combined with Lightbridge’s existing U.S. and international patent portfolio, this grant meaningfully expands the Company’s IP moat in advanced nuclear fuel. The allowed claims are directed to 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 – in which the thickness of both the second and third zones in the radial direction varies along the axial direction. The manufacturing method claims cover the use of additive manufacturing to produce this multi-zone architecture using metallic, ceramic, or cermet fuel systems. The variable zone thickness along the axial direction 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.