Lightbridge Corporation (NASDAQ: LTBR) shares barely moved Tuesday. The Reston, Va.-based company, an advanced nuclear fuel technology concern, today announced that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the Japan Patent Office for Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-513980, titled "Multi-Zone Fuel Element."
The allowed claims cover the fuel element design itself, a fuel assembly incorporating that design, and a method of producing the element through additive manufacturing (3D printing), extending protection for a core element of Lightbridge Fuel into a market with one of the world’s largest nuclear power markets.
The patent covers a fuel rod composed of three layers of different materials, with each layer varying in thickness along the rod's length. That shape can be designed to control how the fuel behaves at different points inside the reactor, improving performance and safety margins. The claims also cover the fuel assembly into which these rods go and the 3D printing method used to build them.
Japan has 32 reactors classified as operable, of which 15 have received clearance from the country's Nuclear Regulation Authority and returned to service, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Japan's national energy plan targets nuclear power at approximately 20% of electricity generation by fiscal year 2040, which would require up to 30 reactors in operation.
LTBR shares dipped four cents to $7.49.
