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DOE Partners with UK's DESNZ and Tokamak Energy Ltd. to Accelerate Fusion Energy Development through ...
https://www.energy.gov/science/articles/doe-partners-uks-desnz-and-tokamak-energy-ltd-accelerate-fusion-energy-developmentDOE Partners with UK’s DESNZ and Tokamak Energy Ltd. to Accelerate Fusion Energy Development through a $52M Upgrade to the Privately Owned ST40 Facility
US and UK governments strengthen ties by partnering with the private fusion sector to advance the development of fusion energy towards demonstration.
Office of Science
December, 5 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.K.’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and the private fusion company Tokamak Energy Ltd. (TE) today announced a plan to jointly sponsor a $52 million upgrade to the ST40 experimental fusion facility to advance fusion science and technology needed to deliver a future fusion pilot plant. Fusion powers the sun and stars, and, if harnessed on Earth, could provide an abundant, safe, and carbon-emissions-free energy source. This collaboration was selected through the 2025 fiscal year Office of Science open funding opportunity.
In December 2023, the DOE and DESNZ announced a fusion strategic partnership to advance both the U.S. Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy and the UK’s Fusion Strategy. A major goal of the partnership is to establish shared access to and development of facilities needed for fusion research and development (R&D). Through the DOE-DESNZ-TE collaboration, researchers at universities, national laboratories, and institutes in both the U.S. and U.K. will be able to benefit from the research carried out on the privately owned ST40 spherical tokamak. TE is one of eight awardees of DOE’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, where DOE partners with the private sector to advance R&D toward realizing industry-led designs for a fusion pilot plant.
“This represents a huge leverage opportunity for advancing fusion science and technology,” said Geraldine Richmond, DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation. “These new investments will strengthen our partnerships with the private sector and our international allies. Each partner stands to gain significantly more than the funds committed.” The ST40 facility, valued at over $100 million, is an existing asset that neither the U.S. nor U.K. governments funded to build or operate.
“Our high field spherical tokamak ST40 has achieved impressive results in recent years, and we are thrilled to commence ST40’s new mission through this strong public private partnership. This program will advance fusion science and technology for spherical tokamaks and the industry more broadly, in pursuit of a common goal to deliver fusion power,” said Tokamak Energy CEO Warrick Matthews. The ST40 facility uses applied magnetic fields to confine plasma. Although the plasma physics of ST40 is entirely non-proprietary and published in scientific journals, TE is developing proprietary, very high-field magnets that rely on high-temperature superconductors.
…
US and UK governments strengthen ties by partnering with the private fusion sector to advance the development of fusion energy towards demonstration.
Office of Science
December, 5 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.K.’s Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and the private fusion company Tokamak Energy Ltd. (TE) today announced a plan to jointly sponsor a $52 million upgrade to the ST40 experimental fusion facility to advance fusion science and technology needed to deliver a future fusion pilot plant. Fusion powers the sun and stars, and, if harnessed on Earth, could provide an abundant, safe, and carbon-emissions-free energy source. This collaboration was selected through the 2025 fiscal year Office of Science open funding opportunity.
In December 2023, the DOE and DESNZ announced a fusion strategic partnership to advance both the U.S. Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy and the UK’s Fusion Strategy. A major goal of the partnership is to establish shared access to and development of facilities needed for fusion research and development (R&D). Through the DOE-DESNZ-TE collaboration, researchers at universities, national laboratories, and institutes in both the U.S. and U.K. will be able to benefit from the research carried out on the privately owned ST40 spherical tokamak. TE is one of eight awardees of DOE’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, where DOE partners with the private sector to advance R&D toward realizing industry-led designs for a fusion pilot plant.
“This represents a huge leverage opportunity for advancing fusion science and technology,” said Geraldine Richmond, DOE Under Secretary for Science and Innovation. “These new investments will strengthen our partnerships with the private sector and our international allies. Each partner stands to gain significantly more than the funds committed.” The ST40 facility, valued at over $100 million, is an existing asset that neither the U.S. nor U.K. governments funded to build or operate.
“Our high field spherical tokamak ST40 has achieved impressive results in recent years, and we are thrilled to commence ST40’s new mission through this strong public private partnership. This program will advance fusion science and technology for spherical tokamaks and the industry more broadly, in pursuit of a common goal to deliver fusion power,” said Tokamak Energy CEO Warrick Matthews. The ST40 facility uses applied magnetic fields to confine plasma. Although the plasma physics of ST40 is entirely non-proprietary and published in scientific journals, TE is developing proprietary, very high-field magnets that rely on high-temperature superconductors.
…