General Fusion and UK Atomic Energy Authority announce agreement for fusion energy
by CM Staff
The results will try and hone the design of General Fusion’s demonstration machine being built at the Culham Campus, part of the UK fusion cluster.
VANCOUVER — On Oct. 17, General Fusion and the UKAEA kick off projects to advance the commercialization of magnetized target fusion energy as part of a collaborative agreement. With these unique projects, General Fusion will benefit from the experience of the UKAEA’s team. The results will try and hone the design of General Fusion’s demonstration machine being built at the Culham Campus, part of the UK fusion cluster. Ultimately, the company expects the projects will support its efforts to provide low-cost and low-carbon energy to the electricity grid.
General Fusion’s approach to fusion reportedly maximizes the reapplication of existing industrialized technologies, bypassing the need for expensive superconducting magnets, significant new materials, or high-power lasers. The demonstration machine will create fusion conditions in a power-plant-relevant environment, confirming the performance and economics of the company’s technology.
“The leading-edge fusion researchers at UKAEA have proven experience building, commissioning, and successfully operating large fusion machines,” said Greg Twinney, Chief Executive Officer, General Fusion. “Partnering with UKAEA’s incredible team will fast-track work to advance our technology and achieve our mission of delivering affordable commercial fusion power to the world.”
“Fusion energy is one of the greatest scientific and engineering quests of our time,” said Ian Chapman, UKAEA CEO. “This collaboration will enable General Fusion to benefit from the ground-breaking research being done in the UK and supports our shared aims of making fusion part of the world’s future energy mix for generations to come.”
In the past 20 years, enabling technologies, such as advanced composite materials and additive manufacturing, have offered new pathways to resolve historical barriers to fusion energy. In General Fusion’s fusion demonstration, the design will try and use special steel that can withstand the high temperatures and compressive forces found in a fusion vessel. The UKAEA will use its vacuum facilities to test the specific steel that General Fusion will use and help inform the demonstration facility’s final design.
