{"id":1952,"date":"2021-02-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fusionindustryassociation.org\/index.php\/2021\/02\/18\/nrc-decision-separates-fusion-energy-regulation-from-nuclear-fission-83\/"},"modified":"2023-05-08T00:31:30","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T04:31:30","slug":"a-new-national-academies-report-bringing-fusion-to-the-u-s-grid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fusionindustryassociation.org\/a-new-national-academies-report-bringing-fusion-to-the-u-s-grid\/","title":{"rendered":"A New National Academies Report: Bringing Fusion to the U.S. Grid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
On February 17, 2021, The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine, or NASEM<\/a>, released a new report, Bringing Fusion to the U.S. Grid<\/em><\/a>. This report was motivated by a combination of increased scientific progress in fusion and the changing electrical landscape in the United States, and builds off of previous work done by NASEM in their report<\/a> on a Strategic Plan for U.S. Burning Plasma Research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This NASEM report \u201cpresents a strategic plan for the scientific and technical innovations that will lead to the design, construction, and operation of a fusion pilot plant with the goal of producing electricity in the 2035-2040 timeframe and paving the way for commercial development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It claims that the U.S. is in prime position to begin planning for its first fusion pilot plant due to scientific results from ITER, a strong foundation in research funded by the Department of Energy, and increased growth of the private sector. In addition, the need to decarbonize and modernize the U.S. electric grid has created a desire to accelerate fusion development so that it can contribute to this important process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report makes two primary recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This report could be a key resource for FIA Member Companies, as most of them share a similar goal of bringing fusion-generated electricity to the grid within this stated timeframe. In addition, the increased push for public-private partnerships<\/a> will result in beneficial new opportunities for many of these companies. With an entire chapter focused on the possibilities of these partnerships, this report states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe development of a low-cost fusion pilot plant will require not only scientific and technical innovation but also innovation in public policy areas to facilitate the licensing of a fusion pilot plant and the structuring of public-private partnerships to pursue this goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n