Newcleo

Key takeaways

Newcleo belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Newcleo to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Newcleo from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

newcleo is a European nuclear energy company developing small modular lead-cooled fast reactors using mixed oxide fuel (MOX). Headquartered in Paris and founded in 2021, as of May 2026 newcleo has raised over €780 million in capital. Headed by CEO and chairman Stefano Buono, the company is based in France, with further locations in Italy, UK, Switzerland, Belgium, and Slovakia, employing approximately 1,000 people.

History

In September 2021, Stefano Buono, Luciano Cinotti, and Elisabeth Rizzotti founded newcleo. The company acquired Hydromine Nuclear Energy, created in 2013 to design the LFR-AS-200 and LFR-TL-30 reactors, and successfully raised €100 million in capital. Six months later, the company entered into a technological partnership with ENEA, an Italian Government research agency, and raised another €300 million. During the Choose France summit in May 2023, the company announced plans for up to €3 billion in investments in France by 2030. The following month, newcleo was awarded funding as part of the France 2030 call for projects. In July, newcleo partnered with Fincantieri and RINA for a feasibility study for naval propulsion. In October, the company acquired SRS-Fucina, which specialises in liquid lead systems. Additionally, a cooperation and an investment agreement were established with the Tosto Group. The following month newcleo participated in the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) and entered partnerships with Assystem, Ingérop, and Onet. In December, newcleo purchased the Rütschi Group, a nuclear pump manufacturer. The company also launched its first experimental facility, known as CAPSULE. In January 2024, newcleo signed an agreement with MAIRE for hydrogen and chemicals production. The same month, it also secured a contract with Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) to support its logistics needs. By April, newcleo had submitted its Regulatory Justification in the UK and formed a partnership with CEA, France's Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. The company also launched its second experimental facility, CORE-1. In May 2024, it joined the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors. In August, newcleo had signed a cooperation agreement with Slovak nuclear company VUJE to advance nuclear technology development. In September 2024, the company entered into an agreement with Saipem to explore offshore applications. newcleo also relocated its holding headquarters from London to Paris. In October, newcleo's lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) was selected by the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors as one of the projects to receive support. The company also announced more partnerships, on recycled nuclear fuel. In January 2025, newcleo signed further agreements, with Slovakian nuclear companies JAVYS and VUJE. The first agreement, with JAVYS, outlines a joint venture (51% JAVYS, 49% newcleo) for the construction of up to four LFR-AS-200 reactors at Jaslovské Bohunice V1, as well as the development of a nuclear fuel supply chain. The project aims to integrate spent nuclear fuel recycling, supported by newcleo's planned fuel manufacturing facility in France, to reduce nuclear waste disposal needs. The second agreement, with VUJE, sets a framework for cooperation in developing LFR technology in Slovakia, with VUJE contributing its expertise in construction and commissioning, starting with feasibility studies. In February, newcleo has initiated the land acquisition process for its first LFR-AS-30 reactor in the Chinon Vienne et Loire community of municipalities in France, aiming to build a 30 MWe reactor by 2031. On 26 May 2026, US-based company Oklo Inc. was selected by the US Department of Energy (DoE) for advanced talks to join the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program. The program converts designated surplus plutonium material into fuel for advanced reactors, and Oklo paired it with a partnership with newcleo that could bring up to $2 billion in project capital, subject to definitive agreements. Newcleo plans to build a fuel manufacturing facility in the US in partnership with Oklo to supply mixed oxide fuel (MOX) to newcleo's reactors. On 27 May, newcleo CEO Stefano Buono announced that the company would become publicly listed on the Nasdaq through a business combination agreement with Newhold Investment Corp. III. Newcleo expects to complete construction of a 10 megawatt-thermal non-nuclear prototype reactor in 2026 in Brasimone, Italy. As of May 2026, the company is still working on the basic design of its 200 megawatt-electric commercial LFR-200 reactor, but plans to complete its first deployment in the US in 2032. As of May 2026, Newcleo is working on the detailed design of a MOX fuel fabrication facility, and plans to have a first facility completed in the US or France by 2031, at an estimated capital cost of approximately $2.4 billion. Newcleo plans to act as operator of its reactors for clients with no prior nuclear expertise, and is exploring joint ventures with off-takers such as data center clients.

Technology The lead-cooled fast reactors newcleo designs are small modular reactors (SMRs), which proponents hope to have cost and flexibility advantages over large conventional reactors. The coolant is liquid lead, and its reactors are designed to fission heavy elements, allowing them to recycle material that conventional light-water reactors cannot. Newcleo plans to use mixed oxide fuel (MOX) composed of uranium oxide and plutonium oxide to potentially reduce the need for new uranium mining while also managing long-lasting nuclear waste more effectively. The plutonium used to produce MOX fuel is often sourced from reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, though MOX production can also be a way of utilizing surplus weapons-grade plutonium. Newcleo has not made public any plans to conduct its own reprocessing, but plans to reprocess spent fuel from its own MOX-fuelled reactors to create further MOX fuel, in a strategy it calls "multi-recycling."

See also Nuclear power Nuclear reactor Nuclear physics Nuclear engineering

References

External links Official website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Newcleo

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Newcleo claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Newcleo before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Newcleo ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Newcleo

In research: Newcleo appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Newcleo in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Newcleo is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2021 establishments, Companies based in Paris, Nuclear fuel companies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Newcleo outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Newcleo in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Newcleo means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Newcleo out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Newcleo in simple terms?

newcleo is a European nuclear energy company developing small modular lead-cooled fast reactors using mixed oxide fuel (MOX). Headquartered in Paris and founded in 2021, as of May 2026 newcleo has raised over €780 million in capital.

Why does Newcleo matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Newcleo?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Newcleo.