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TL-40 Nuclear Reactor - Pininfarina

TL-40 Nuclear Reactor

The project will show for the first time a full-scale fourth-generation nuclear reactor with the aim of redefining the social image of nuclear power
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  • Category
    Architecture
    Product
  • Client
    Newcleo
  • Location
    Venice
  • year
    2025
Pinininfarina, together with Newcleo and Fincantieri, presents in the occasion of the 19th Architectural Biennale in Venice the TL-40 Nuclear Reactor, set to change the way we use and think about nuclear energy

Pininfarina leads the creative vision of the innovative nuclear startup newcleo. Together with Fincantieri, these three prestigious companies take up the challenge of showcasing one of the most advanced clean energy production and sustainable design solutions, thus addressing two of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change and decarbonization.

Combining technological vision, industrial expertise and cutting-edge design, the companies have collaborated with the goal of redefining the social image of nuclear energy, asking visitors to forget everything they know about it and let themselves be guided on a highly interactive journey to discover the extraordinary opportunities offered by fission of atoms in combating climate change and decarbonizing human activities.

At the center of the joint project, housed inside the Corderie of the Venice Arsenal, is a full-size reproduction of the TL-40 liquid-lead cooled nuclear reactor engineered by newcleo, a safe, sustainable and compact reactor developed for use in propelling large ships.

Guided through an immersive experience, visitors will discover how the reactor works, its ability to burn waste produced by conventional nuclear power plants, and its passive safety features that make it an ideal solution for powering energy-intensive human activities in a sustainable and decarbonized manner.

What is presented to the eyes of visitors to the Architecture Biennale is a reactor conceived in an open configuration, entirely observable from all angles and enriched by multiple elements of surprise. The reactor allows a direct view of its interior. The immersive experience at the heart of the machine allows visitors to grasp with immediacy the principles and processes that govern power generation.

To make them even clearer, a system has been set up for interactive visualization of data and information on nuclear energy and its role within the decarbonization process of energy systems.

The installation will reveal the effectiveness of nuclear power in decarbonizing marine transport, as well as the potential contained in Europe's existing nuclear waste that would be sufficient to power electricity demand on the continent for hundreds of years.

newcleo's fourth-generation small modular reactors represent a revolutionary approach to the decarbonization challenge by offering the answer to the perceived problems of traditional nuclear power. The innovative lead cooling system introduces passive safety systems that completely avoid the risk of nuclear accidents through the physical laws governing reactor operation. In addition, these reactors are able to eliminate nuclear waste generated by conventional nuclear power plants through a virtuous multi-cycle system that allows it to be burned generating clean, cheap and virtually inexhaustible energy.