On October 11, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) held the first of a series of three public meetings to share the staff’s progress and seek public input on the preliminary proposed rule language, preliminary draft guidance (NUREG-1556, Volume 22), and specific topics of the proposed rule that would form the regulatory framework under 10 CFR Part 30 for fusion systems.
On October 13, Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced the first round of federal funding to fusion firms, following Japan’s launch of a national strategy geared towards fusion acceleration earlier in the year.
The International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) is hosting the 29th Fusion Energy Conference (FEC) from October 16-21 in London. The annual conference provides a space for leading fusion developers, policymakers, and scientists to connect and discuss actions to advance fusion R&D and achieve commercial fusion power on a global scale.
When a reality, fusion will be a source of low carbon energy and can contribute to decarbonisation and diversification of energy generation, the IAEA states in its first World Fusion Outlook.
During the annual International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Fusion Energy Conference, IAEA Director General Rafael Marino Grossi launched the World Fusion Outlook, a new publication that details the state of fusion energy research and development worldwide.
Bipartisan fusion support and activity in Congress grows.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1172 into law, making California the first state in the US to recognise fusion energy as a separate and distinct technology from traditional nuclear fission.
Lightning has struck a second time for physicists using lasers to achieve nuclear fusion—the process in which two atomic nuclei combine into one while releasing enormous amounts of energy. On 30 July, the 192 lasers of the stadium-size National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory instantaneously crushed a tiny capsule filled with deuterium and tritium, heavy isotopes of hydrogen. In doing so, they prompted a fusion reaction that produced more energy than the laser beams shined onto the target.
Osaka University will operate a laser facility with one of the world’s largest average output powers by 2024. It will be used for research into “laser fusion,” which involves irradiating fuel with a powerful laser to cause a fusion reaction and extract energy. We will establish a joint research department with Osaka University startup EX-Fusion (Suita City, Osaka Prefecture) and others, aiming to become a global base for nuclear fusion research.
On September 27, the German parliament held a public hearing on “Strengthening fusion research at a world-class level” in Berlin, with participation by Germany-based FIA members Focused Energy and Proxima Fusion. The hearing signifies another step in accelerating fusion commercialization in Germany.