newcleo acquires site for fuel R&D and training centre

Nuclear technology company newcleo has acquired a site in Chusclan, France, to build an R&D centre to support development of its future fuel assembly manufacturing facility.

newcleo is calling the facility FASTER (Fuel process Assembly Storage Training and Enhanced Reality) and will use it to close the nuclear fuel cycle while producing low-carbon energy.

The site will be developed in collaboration with industrial and architectural designer Pininfarina. No radioactive waste will be stored or handled at the site, but rather it will provide an immersive environment that fosters learning and innovation.

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More specifically, FASTER will host:

• Dedicated spaces for testing engineering solutions and maintenance, including office areas for teams (100 employees on-site),
• Advanced training facilities, featuring rooms equipped for virtual and augmented reality, simulators, and a training workshop with real production equipment,
• Development and qualification workshops designed to test and optimise manufacturing processes using technologies such as 3D printing.

newcleo said in a statement that the project is designed to equip trainees with skills to help solve future challenges in the nuclear industry, as well as develop advanced, innovative solutions and close the nuclear fuel cycle.

Stefano Buono, founder and CEO of newcleo, commented in a statement: “The acquisition of this site marks a key milestone in our strategic roadmap. This innovation and training centre, designed with Pininfarina’s renowned elegance and functionality in mind, will play a crucial role in preparing and anticipating the operations of our future pilot fuel manufacturing line.

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"By blending cutting-edge design with practicality, the centre will bring together multiple functions—including training, pre-fabrication, and storage—creating an immersive 'test and learn' environment. This will accelerate skill development for our teams and partners. As a first structuring step, it will also support the successful deployment of our pilot line at another site in France, seamlessly combining aesthetic excellence with technological innovation.”

newcleo works with small, modular, lead-cooled fast reactors and is working to produce MOX fuel to power their reactors. FR-MOX fuel is Fast Reactor Mixed Pu - U Oxides and consists of depleted Uranium (a by-product of the enrichment process of today's reactors) and Plutonium (extracted from spent nuclear fuel).