Germany backs research and business hubs in push for world's first nuclear fusion plant

The German government will financially support the setup of three ‘fusion hubs’ with stakeholders from science and industry to drive forward the development of nuclear fusion technology, the research ministry has said. “Our goal is therefore clear: the first nuclear fusion power plant is to be built in Germany,” said research minister Dorothee Bär. The hubs would “combine entrepreneurial ambition with scientific expertise” to achieve this. “In doing so, we are accelerating the development of new fusion technologies and ensuring more effective knowledge transfer,” the minister said. Nuclear fusion – the process of fusing hydrogen atoms to release vast amounts of energy, as the sun does – has long been seen as a potential source of virtually limitless and emission-free power. But the technology remains in the research phase and cannot yet be used on a commercial scale. Recent technological breakthroughs have sparked a surge of private investments in the sector across the globe. Germany's government has pledged more than 2 billion euros for fusion research and pilot projects through 2029. The National Academy of Science and Engineering said in March the goal of building the world's first fusion reactor in Germany was achievable by 2045, but only with a massive investment and acceleration of efforts. The new hubs are intended to bring fusion companies and the fusion research community together with Germany’s leading players in the high-tech industry, value chains and supply chains. The government will initially support them with 125 million euros, to be matched with private capital. One of the hubs is to be established around the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Garching, near Munich, reported news service Tagesspiegel Background. The primary focus there will be on magnetic fusion technology. The second ‘hub’ – focusing on laser fusion – is planned with the involvement of the XFEL X-ray laser in Hamburg and the Biblis nuclear energy site in Hesse. The third facility, centred around the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), is to concentrate on the cross-cutting theme of fuel cycles and materials development.

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