The European Commission recently published a report analyzing a strategic public-private partnership (PPP) approach to foster innovation in fusion energy titled Analysis on a strategic public-private partnership approach to foster innovation in fusion energy.

There is an increasing recognition that public funding alone is not sufficient for developing viable commercial fusion energy. As other countries around the world initiate their own PPPs to accelerate fusion technology, an EU PPP for fusion could address the need for continued innovation, and retaining know-how, competitiveness and leadership in fusion.

The report confirms that existing funding instruments are sufficiently flexible and advises against creating completely new instruments which would require significant political, legal and other actions. Three separate and complementary funding opportunities are identified for industrial innovation in fusion and should be pursued in parallel:

• Create a Co-Programmed European Partnership (CPEP) for fusion innovation under the Horizon Europe program before its next budget in 2028. This would complement other innovation partnerships while reserving 25% of funds for additional EU fusion firms with high-risk/high-potential approaches to scale.
• Start an Innovation Partnership through Fusion for Energy (F4E) to evolve the focus towards industrial innovation. The program would support the development of key enabling technologies, reprioritizing available budgets to use towards mandated DEMO objectives.
• Ensure funding availability for fusion start-ups in the EU including SMEs in the supply chain. This can be achieved through Horizon Europe’s EIT-KIC InnoEnergy instrument. As key enabling technologies are developed, more tools such as the Innovation Fund, Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, European Investment Bank (EIB) and other funds will become more relevant.

Taking steps towards an EU fusion innovation strategy, the EU should propose a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) which defines the main areas of focus and milestones to be achieved. The report also recommends communicating with industry to establish an EU representative organization. The FIA welcomes this suggestion and believes it would be the right candidate for this role.

The report is available below or on the European Commission’s website.

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The FIA is the unified voice of the fusion industry, working to transform the energy system with commercially viable fusion power. It represents the interests of its members; the private companies that are commercializing clean, safe, available fusion energy.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced individual to lead our expansion in setting up and leading a new London-based office, reporting directly to the CEO. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing and growing the FIA’s presence in the UK and EU markets.

Key Responsibilities:

• Adapt and implement the FIA’s strategic priorities for advocacy towards UK and EU governments, in line with the overall Association strategy.
• Manage and grow the Association’s presence in the UK and EU markets, including recruiting new Affiliate Members.
• Represent FIA interests and build relationships with key fusion stakeholders, including political leaders, press, national laboratories, energy industry, non-profits, and regulatory bodies.
• Ensure compliance with local regulations and laws, including data protection, employment, lobbying, and tax laws.
• Balance the overlapping or conflicting interests of member companies in an ethical, consensus-based manner so maximize the collective impact of industry’s voice.
• Manage the office’s budget, including overhead, travel, and projections for growth.

Requirements:

• Experience and relationships with leaders in both the UK or EU on fusion energy.
• Strong understanding of the UK and EU fusion energy programs, related programs, and opportunities for expansion.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to develop and implement FIA priorities.
• Strong financial acumen, with experience managing budgets and financial performance.
• Experience working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results.
• Ability to work independently.

Location: It is expected that the position will focus on work in London, UK, but the successful applicant should be flexible and expect to travel, work remotely, and engage across international borders.

Salary: Competitive, depending on experience, time, and qualifications.

If you are passionate about fusion energy, are willing to take risks to independently start new programs, and have a proven track record of success in managing operations and teams, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.

TO APPLY:

Applicants for the role should send a 1.) cover letter and 2.) resume to FIA at FIA@FusionIndustryAssociation.org. Please be prepared to supply references on request.

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The group discusses the benefits of fusion energy that make it “the preferred power of the universe,” and various key developments in recent years that have led to a sharp increase in investment levels – now standing at over $5 billion worldwide, and growing.

Some of the key advances allowing for the investment increase:

• Enabling technologies and advanced materials, like high-temperature superconducting materials
• Increasing regulatory certainty, like the recent Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision separating fusion regulations from fission in the United States
• Government support for accelerated fusion development
• Public-private partnerships capitalizing on the combination of public sector expertise and private sector ambitions
• The ability of fusion start-ups to adapt and move quickly
• Growing global fusion industry supply chain

The group also speaks about the necessity of a climate solution and geopolitical stability playing a role in the increase in the demand for fusion, and iterate the need to make the investments now as the industry is rapidly developing.

You can watch the full webinar here. Sign up for FusionXInvest on May 18-19 for more conversations on fusion energy and investment.

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The funding provided in this bill incorporates an additional $ million for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), $ million for ARPA-E, and $ million for Inertial Confinement Fusion. By comparison, the House’s Appropriation Bill allocated $45 million for a new cost-share program, $698 million for FES, $600 million for ARPA-E, and $580 million for Inertial Confinement Fusion. Both the Senate’s and the House’s budget for fusion includes funding that is significantly higher than proposed by President Biden’s budget plan for FY22. (The House is higher but fact check the Senate once their approps bill comes out)

The relevant language from the Committee Report is:

The bill passed through the subcommittee with yea votes on , 2021. The bill will now proceed from the subcommittee to the full Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy, where they will vote on their version of this bill in a full Committee markup on , 2021.

Read the bill report on the Senate’s webpage (link to it).

This post will be updated as the bill continues along the legislative process in the Senate.

More information about the FIA’s efforts to create a new public private partnership program are available through these links:

FIA CEO Andrew Holland Writes OPED for Investment in Fusion Energy as an Infrastructure Priority

Bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus Seeks Energy Department Update on Public-Private Partnerships

Building a Public-Private Partnership Cost-Share Program for Fusion Power

Congress Would Fund Fusion Cost-Share Program in Committee-Passed Appropriations Bill
Chairwoman of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Dianne Feinstein, along with Ranking Member John Kennedy, included $ million to invest in fusion energy research and $ million for a milestone-based public-private partnership program in their budget for the Senate’s Energy and Water FY 22 Appropriations Bill.

The funding provided in this bill incorporates an additional $ million for the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), $ million for ARPA-E, and $ million for Inertial Confinement Fusion. By comparison, the House’s Appropriation Bill allocated $45 million for a new cost-share program, $698 million for FES, $600 million for ARPA-E, and $580 million for Inertial Confinement Fusion. Both the Senate’s and the House’s budget for fusion includes funding that is significantly higher than proposed by President Biden’s budget plan for FY22. (The House is higher but fact check the Senate once their approps bill comes out)

The relevant language from the Committee Report is:

The bill passed through the subcommittee with yea votes on , 2021. The bill will now proceed from the subcommittee to the full Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Senator Patrick Leahy, where they will vote on their version of this bill in a full Committee markup on , 2021.

Read the bill report on the Senate’s webpage (link to it).

This post will be updated as the bill continues along the legislative process in the Senate.

More information about the FIA’s efforts to create a new public private partnership program are available through these links:

FIA CEO Andrew Holland Writes OPED for Investment in Fusion Energy as an Infrastructure Priority

Bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus Seeks Energy Department Update on Public-Private Partnerships

Building a Public-Private Partnership Cost-Share Program for Fusion Power

Congress Would Fund Fusion Cost-Share Program in Committee-Passed Appropriations Bill

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In Hefei, government-funded scientists operate the recently-upgraded Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The machine is government-funded, through the National Nuclear Corporation, a large state-owned corporation. It cost nearly US$900 million to build and operate through 2019. Since then, the government has been investing large sums of money into development with there recently being awarded a second tranche of another US$900 million in funding for the project.

In the past year, the EAST device has achieved world records, maintaining a plasma temperature of 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds and 160 million Celsius for 20 seconds. These achievements should be seen as a huge success for a fusion device and show the scientific prowess of China’s research teams. The United States Department of Energy has run partnerships between American and Chinese scientists to help share knowledge.

In light of successes from EAST, China is bolstering its fusion project even further with increases in funding and planning to developing subsequent fusion initiatives, such as the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The preliminary conceptual designs of this device were finished in 2015 and the engineering design started in 2017. Chinese scientists see CFETR as the next step after the multinational ITER project in France, which China participates in. Construction is planned for the 2020s as a demonstration of the feasibility of large-scale fusion power generation. They are training a growing cadre of scientists, with a goal of training 1,000 new plasma physicists to support this program. This plan by the Chinese government shows a real commitment to fusion and makes them a possible front-runner in the global rush to viable fusion technology.

In the private sector, the ENN Group is a Chinese energy company and one of China’s largest private companies. The ENN Energy Research Institute is a subset of ENN that was created in 2006 and this houses the ENN compact fusion program. Not much is publicly available about ENN’s fusion research, but they are well known among fusion scientists. Their program is growing, two separate fusion projects: a spherical tokamak called EXL-50 and a field reversed configuration the HeLong Experiment (EHL Experiment).

ENN has made large investments into their fusion program and claims an investment of over US$100 million into their program. They sank roughly US$10 million over 2 years into duplicating the Princeton Field Reversed Configuration for one of their devices. Their Center for Compact Fusion (CCF), founded in 2018, plans to demonstrate a net gain in 10-15 years claiming a long-term budget of US$150 million per year. The CCF program has been growing rapidly since 2018 and tripled its R&D staff to 1oo staff members as well as brought on various universities for fusion partnerships. The expansion of the ENN fusion program shows that the company clearly sees fusion as an important investment opportunity. While ENN is privately owned and run, the intersection between big business and government in China is often murky, and this program can be seen as a supplement to the publicly-run program.

The significant work being done in China to improve and support the country’s fusion efforts fits as a part of their efforts to dominate the technologies of the 21st century. Bipartisan majorities in the U.S. government have deemed these strategies to be a key part of the new “Great Power Competition” between the two countries.

If the U.S. does not begin taking similar, long-term measures to invest in and improve its fusion energy programs, the clean energy export industry of the future could be dominated by China. The United States has an important, and potentially decisive advantage: a private sector that is investing and striving towards commercial fusion energy. The time is now for countries like the U.S. to build new partnerships between the public and private sectors to make sure that its long-term scientific leadership in fusion energy is not overtaken by a geopolitical competitor. The stakes could not be higher.

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Fusion Industry Association CEO Andrew Holland published the opinion piece, “US Must Make an Infrastructure Investment in Fusion Energy” in the Washington Examiner on July 13, 2021, pushing for the American government to increase its funding for fusion energy in order to combat the global climate crisis and assert the United States as a leader in the “race to fusion power”.

Fusion will provide clean energy that will help the U.S. to reach President Biden’s goals of zero-net carbon by 2035 and 2050, but the benefits of seeking fusion will emerge before the next decade. Holland points out, “Investing in fusion will create new, good jobs today as we build the facilities that will prove the science of fusion. It will create the high-tech industrial base that spawns spinoffs and a new era of prosperity.”

Holland’s article highlights the accomplishments of FIA member companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, TAE Technologies, Helion Energy, and General Fusion in their endeavors to build new fusion demonstration plants and achieve various scientific campaigns. The piece also references competitors that have already emerged in the market, citing China’s and the U.K.‘s recent accomplishments in funding and setting up regulations for fusion as an indication that the U.S. needs to step up to avoid falling behind and losing the industry altogether.

Holland states, “In this decade, fusion energy will show that it’s ready to move from scientific labs to commercial development.“ Fusion is right around the corner, and it is time for the United States to invest in fusion programs, like the Department of Energy‘s public-private partnerships program, and create new programs as requested by various members of the science community and Congress.

One such member of Congress advocating for increased investment in fusion is Representative Don Beyer serving Virginia’s eighth congressional district. Holland acknowledges Representative Beyer and his effort to advance fusion commercialization by leading the bipartisan Congressional Fusion Energy Caucus and introducing key amendments to bills such as the H.R. 3593 “Science for the Future Act.”

All of this evidence presents the central message of the article: The United States does not want to be left behind in the race for fusion. Holland concludes, “The economy of the future will be powered by clean, safe, sustainable fusion energy. Let’s make the investment now to ensure that fusion is also ‘Made in America.'”

Read the article on the Washington Examiner‘s website.

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