On April 11, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder made a visit to the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching, Germany. The two commended the work done at the Institute and emphasized the need for a European fusion alliance, public-private partnership programs, and a clear…
On April 18, Senators Padilla, Cornyn, Booker, Young, and Murray introduced a bipartisan bill to accelerate fusion energy development. The legislation would codify the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s bipartisan decision last April to regulate fusion energy separate from nuclear fission. This Senate bill follows the passage of companion bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives….
On April 18, the FIA sent a letter to Chairman Carper and Ranking Member Capito of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to support the renomination of US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Christopher Hanson.
On April 10, the United States and Japan announced a strategic partnership to accelerate fusion commercialization efforts. The bilateral agreement aims to advance and build off of fusion initiatives from both countries – the US’ Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy and Strategy for International Partnerships in a New Era of Fusion Development and Japan’s Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy. Both countries have been advancing fusion initiatives within their strategies, and this partnership is a key collaborative step forward amid the global race to commercial fusion.
Many energy experts consider nuclear fusion the North Star—a way to generate cleaner and more affordable electricity than fossil fuels without creating long-term nuclear waste. Right now, major corporations, including MicrosoftMSFT -0.2%, ChevronCVX -0.3%, and Shell, are sending billions of dollars into the field. While success is in sight, other specialists caution against creating too much hype.
A company says it has reached a “major milestone” in its quest to design a power plant capable of producing energy from nuclear fusion. First Light Fusion, in Yarnton, Oxfordshire, has increased the distance a projectile is fired into the fuel by more than ten times.
It’s time for the EU to step up and remove bottlenecks preventing fusion energy from its full realisation, at a time when public support and private investments for the development of fusion energy have risen, said the European Commission’s Elena Righi Steele at a recent Euractiv event.
One year after Japan launched its “Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy” to accelerate development and commercialization efforts, the government continues to meet the moment. On March 22, with the Fusion Industry Association and the Institute for Education, Ambassador Shigeo Yamada hosted “Fusion, Breaking Through: The Technologies, Policies, & Partnerships Accelerating the Next Energy Revolution” at the Ambassador’s Residence at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC. The Cabinet Office announced the launch of Japan’s Fusion Industry Council (J-Fusion) – a consortium of Japanese companies to accelerate fusion development in the country.
On March 20-21, the Fusion Industry Association held our 2024 Annual Policy Conference. Taking place at Union Station in Washington, D.C., the sold out conference convened government, regulatory, industry, investment, and academic leaders to discuss the path to fusion commercialization.
Germany’s Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger announced a new funding program for fusion research aimed at paving the way for the first fusion power plant to be constructed in Germany by 2040.