Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) of the Netherlands has extended the preparatory phase of the new research reactor Pallas, and the final choice for the vendor will be made by the end of 2010.

The INVAP-ISOLUX offer from Argentina/Spain was selected as the economically most advantageous offer, according to NRG. However, the financing process is still ongoing and the project had to be re-scheduled and NRG discontinued the tender.

“The construction of Pallas requires an investment of several hundreds of millions of Euros. The timing of the availability of the financial resources will play an important role in the project planning and therefore the date that the reactor will enter into operation,” said the group.

NRG said that the extension of the preparatory phase will not affect the timing of the environmental impact assessment or the choice of location.

In the coming months, the group said it will develop and test the "feasibility of various financing plans" and synchronize the Pallas project with the availability of financial resources.