In Rome meeting, fusion is a priority
At the inaugural ministerial meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group (WFEG) on 6 November in Rome, participants agreed that bringing fusion to commercialization will require cross-border and cross-sector collaboration.
Hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Italy, the assembled the representatives of IAEA member countries as well as private sector actors, international organizations鈥攊ncluding ITER鈥攁nd non-governmental organizations.
鈥淲e share a common goal: to hasten the pathway toward the deployment of nuclear fusion as a reliable source of power,鈥 stated ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi in his remarks. 鈥淚t is our commitment to this assembly of global leaders to support the IAEA鈥檚 vision of driving multi-sector collaboration, and attention on the policies and frameworks needed for fusion.鈥
The was launched by the IAEA a year ago with the idea of bringing together public and private sectors, industry, academia and civil society to form a cohesive global fusion community. The group seeks to act as a catalyst for fusion energy commercialization by fostering international collaboration through dialogue and planning, identifying technology and engineering gaps and developing solutions, promoting discussion on effective fusion regulation, and raising public awareness and engagement.
Discussions in Rome focused on three main topics: the status of fusion energy research and initiatives, global collaboration and public-private partnerships, and issues around creating the specialized workforce and supply chain that will be necessary to sustain fusion commercialization.
鈥淭he strong attendance at today鈥檚 meeting clearly demonstrates the growing optimism about the immense potential of fusion energy as a long-term clean energy solution,鈥 said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. 鈥淯ntil recently, fusion energy had been a distant dream, but now with burgeoning private sector involvement and major technical breakthroughs, it seems fusion's realization is now within reach.鈥
The IAEA released two new publications during the meeting that highlight the momentum underway鈥攖he and .
In a panel called 鈥淔usion Energy: State of Play,鈥 Pietro Barabaschi repeated a pledge to support private sector fusion initiatives by sharing technical expertise and experience. In May 2024, ITER had organized a Private Sector Fusion Workshop for the first time; since then, an organized program for knowledge transfer has been launched (see a more detailed description in next week鈥檚 ITER Newsline).
On the sidelines of the World Fusion Energy Group meeting, Director-General Barabaschi and Director General Grossi signed a new Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening cooperation on fusion. The agreement promotes knowledge exchange, education and training, and global outreach to advance fusion energy, expanding a long history of cooperation between the two organizations.
See a in English or the press conference that followed the event.