Breakout session: From here to gigawatts of fusion energy

Fusion energy has been making headlines recently, with several records broken in the past year in government-owned research facilities. Fusion technology pioneers are raising unprecedented levels of venture capital funding, because – even if it is long shot – a successful fusion power plant design could revolutionise the energy system, providing high and constant power output and spinning inertia for grid stabilisation, minimal radioactive waste, no CO2 emissions and no scarce fuel inputs.

The complex science and terminology of nuclear fusion is a barrier to understanding by non-experts and contributes to misunderstandings about the status and progress of the technology. The distinctions between announcements about “ignition”, “plasma confinement” or different reactor types are often hard to place in context.

The goal is to achieve a meaningful amount of nuclear fusion energy on the grid, which will require gigawatts of electricity generating capacity, whether from a small number of large plants or many more smaller reactors. These reactors will each need to be paired with fuel supply processes, power generation cycles and safety regulations. Recent advances bring these steps into focus, though exact timelines remain contested. It is important for governments and industry to prepare themselves appropriately.