Massimo Gallibba, Deputy Director of the European Commission’s Energy Bureau, Massimo Gallibba, details the European journey to realize fusion energy.
Since Europe is working to achieve the net zero goals and sustainable goals, can the fusion -moving the sun and the star be the future energy?
Europe, which has a long history of Fusion Science and Technology, is fully positioned as a leader in fusion commercialization. The most prominent is one of the world’s most ambitious energy projects in Europe, in southern France. ITER is a major international collaboration that is working on the world’s largest TOKAMAK, designed to verify the scientific and engineering execution of fusion energy. ITER members can design prototypes or demonstration power plants based on ITER construction experience, technology, and scientific results. This will further promote the transition from scientific experiments to commercialization of fusion.
The EU also collects EUROFUSION CONSORTIUM through Horizo N EURATOM Research and Training Program. Through this consortium, the European Fusion Research Institute will further promote the fusion research, design and manufacturing system necessary for future fusion reaction devices.
In order to find out more about European fusion activities, the Innovation Platform told Massimo Gallibba, a deputy director of the European Commission, the energy director of the European Commission.
Can you explain the current fusion status of the EU in detail?
The European Union (EU) believes that fusion may provide safe, expensive and sustainable solutions for future European and world energy needs. For this reason, the EU has supported cutting -edge research and innovation for decades.
The EU is one of the world’s most ambitious energy projects. Located in southern France, ITER is a unique project to build TOKAMAK, the world’s largest and most advanced fusion machine. When completed, the ITER is about 30 meters high, 30 meters wide, and weighs 23,000 tons. This is to prove the technical and scientific feasibility of using a fusion process for power production. TOKAMAKS is a vacuum Chambered device designed to replicate the fusion process (the energy source of the sun and stars) on earth using a powerful magnetic field generated by the superconducting magnet.
The EU cooperates with Japan about fusion activities under a wider approach contract beyond ITER. This privileged partnership supervises the development of major infrastructure such as test facilities for fusion materials (international fusion material irradiation facilities /engineering design and engineering verification activities). Materials used in the fusion reaction device must withstand the immeasurable temperature generated in the fusion process and the fluid fluid. Under the same contract, the EU and Japan jointly built a tokamak device known as the JT-60SA. This device in the middle of Japan is the world’s largest superconducting Tokamak in the world after taking office in December 2023. JT-60SA was designed to support ITER operation by providing complementary R & D programs.
Recently, Spain and Croatia have cooperated to lead the development of the International Fusion Materials Remodeling Facility -Demo -oriented neutral source (IFMIF -DONES). IFMIF-DONES is built based on the results of IFMIF-EVEDA, and provides an essential neutral source to further test and verify materials used in future fusion power plants.
The EU supports the National Institute of Fusion Research and universities, such as European Torus (JET) in the UK and Wendelstein 7-X Stellalator in Germany. We are currently looking for opportunities to support joint initiative between the private sector and the public sector. For example, the European Innovation Council has recently given a 2.5 million euros subsidy to the fusion startup to support the progress of star design and the integration of the main sterrter components. EU FUSION’s emerging companies are encouraged to cooperate with the EU Fusion Laboratories to cooperate with industrial partners, part of the current ITER supply chain.
How can major European fusion activities and surveys from organizations from jets, Eurofusions, and ITERs convey the future direction of European fusion development?
Fusion development is a long -term effort that requires various initiative efforts, including what you mentioned.
ITER is one of the most complex machines that have been built so far. The purpose is to establish a demonstration fusion power plant, and there is no shortcut in this path. ITER will provide the feasibility of the necessary technology for the fusion power plant, which will help to fill the gap between today’s small experimental fusion device and the future demonstration of the fusion plant. Through ITER, scientists can study plasma under the same conditions as expected at future power plants, and test important technologies such as heating, control, diagnosis, extremely low temperature, and remote maintenance. 。 In addition, ITER provides a unique opportunity to test Tritium, one of the fusion fuel fuel for future fusion reaction devices under actual fusion conditions.
In other words, the operation of ITER, the production of the fusion machine tritium, the research and experiments, the steps required for the EU to migrate the fusion energy from the research to the demonstration reactor.
Survey from major fusion activities in Europe, such as JET and EUROFUSION, plays an important role in notifying the future of European fusion development. The Jet Machine ended on December 18, 2023, more than 40 years since its founding. Based on the foundation of ITER and future fusion power plants through innovative heavy hydrogen -tritium experiments. Jet also played an important role in training several European fusion scientists and engineers.
EUROFUSION -The consortium of about 30 National Fusion Laboratory in the EU is conducting fusion research under Euroatom Research and Training Program. This focuses on the development of major fusion -related technologies, the progress of training and education, and the development of the concept design of future demonstration fusion power leaders. The Adjustable Erovusion’s efforts continue to promote important technology advances and foster new generation of fusion experts.
The collective knowledge obtained from all of these different initiative (plasma behavior, fusion materials, operation tasks, etc.) forms the future course of European fusion development. Adjusted research efforts have supported the transition from EU research to industrialization, and has opened the way to the development and operation of commercial fusion power plants.
What are the main bottlenecks that prevent fusion energy from being fully realized? How do I delete these?
There are a series of important technical bottlenecks related to the demonstration of the important technology of future fusion reaction devices. For example, demonstration of the qualifications of materials that can withstand extreme conditions in the fusion reaction device, or the performance of the main components under the reactor conditions. Development of plasma scenario, remote maintenance design and qualifications are also important issues.
Another important bottleneck is a demonstration of tritium -produced tritium for fuel self -sufficiency. The fusion reaction device depends on the essentially rare tritium. Therefore, future commercial power plants need to “breed” their own tritium for economic execution. The concept of breeding blankets has been developed, and it is necessary to test it to directly generate tritium fuel during fusion reactions.
Dealing with these issues is important for the transition from the experimental reactor to a reliable and sustainable energy source. This can help the fusion industry and research institution complement knowledge and fill in the technical gap that affects the way to fusion energy generation.
What do you need to make fusion research and technology prospering in Europe?
Supporting fusion research and technology growth and development requires some important actions.
First, to complete an ITER project, you need to secure a continuous and sufficient commitment of finance, technology, and personnel affairs. Despite the increase in private investment in the issues facing the project and the multiple fusion machine design, ITER is not only very relevant, but it is actually a globalization of fusion energy. It is the center of effort.
Second, the appropriate fusion -specific regulatory framework also promotes the development of fusion technology. In this regard, the European Commission has begun dialogue with European Nuclear Safety Authority, a group of European Nuclear Safety Authority, regarding the possibility of a regulatory approach to fusion facilities.
Third, as shown in the latest reports of dragians on the future of European competitiveness, “Clarified while creating a stable and predictable fusion ecosystem for industrial innovation and utilizing the ITER project. It is necessary to secure a technical development roadmap, promoting research and technological innovation, encouraging the private sector, promoting risks with risks as necessary, and research institutions with private companies and public funds. It is necessary to adopt a consistent EU -level approach to create an environment that cooperates in common goals.
Finally, when the first commercial power plant is built, the large -scale industrial efforts needed to expand production. Therefore, it is necessary to support the EU Utility and supply chain industry as the Fusion Energy Deplayers or as the main suppliers of major commercial fusion projects.
How close do you think Europe is commercialized?
We look at some private initiatives that work to achieve electricity production on an ambitious timeline. Some of them have announced that they will make a major progress within the next five years, aiming for 4 or 5 technology preparation levels (TRL) and potential pure energy gain or high power multiplication. These companies plan to complete a pilot factory between 2030 and mid -2030s. The success of these plants depends on the performance of future devices, securing further funds, and solving design, engineering, procurement, and construction problems. It is also necessary to recognize the important differences between public and private approaches to fusion technology development. Public initiatives such as ITER aim to develop the entire fusion system, such as blurring of blankets and fusion -friendly technologies such as tritium technology. This comprehensive approach may take more time, but this comprehensive approach deals with long -term issues that are important for future commercial development of fusion plants.
It is difficult to predict the exact timing, but it can be realistically expected to have decades before we have worked before we achieve fusion commercialization. However, in the meantime, there is always hope for groundbreaking or large discovery.
It is important to keep in mind that having fusion energy as part of the future energy mix is worth pursuing, and we are working on making fusion energy as soon as possible.
This article will also be published in the 20th edition of the quarterly publication.
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