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Speaking at a round table on the green energy transition at the Forum Aix-Marseille economic conference, head of the ITER Science & Integration Department Alain Becoulet said the fusion ecosystem was developing rapidly but wouldn’t be ready to meet short-term decarbonization goals.

“This is an important moment for humanity because the technology is coming out of the research laboratory and being demonstrated,” noted Becoulet. “ITER is part of a flotilla of advances in fusion research, industrial testing, and private-sector investment. This is creating the ecosystem and supply chain that will be needed to roll out this energy source on a planetary scale.”

However, Becoulet warned that even after the first fusion power plant is successfully demonstrated, it will take decades to build the thousands of plants required for a global energy transition. He added that in the meantime, broader use of conventional fission plants or new SMRs (small modular reactors) could reduce carbon emissions.

The conclusions of the day's debates and discussions will be shared at the national Cercle des Etats de la France conference, which helps shape France’s economic policies.

After Wendelstein 7-X generated a record plasma in February 2023 (lasting 8 minutes with an energy output of 1.3 gigajoules), the stellarator at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Greifswald, Germany, was shut down for a one-year maintenance phase.

W7-X began a new experimental phase on 10 September, after significant improvements and optimizations were made to the device (see the detail ) to improve the availability and reliability of the systems. In addition, the scientific capabilities of all systems were significantly expanded and important new observation instruments were added.

The scientific program ahead should gradually see an increase in performance parameters, specifically higher heating powers. Wendelstein 7-X is the world's largest fusion device of the stellarator type.

See the press release in  or .

(Photo Jan Hosan, 2021)

Through a newly launched web platform—the European Fusion Technology Marketplace—Fusion for Energy (F4E), the European Domestic Agency for ITER, and EUROfusion, a consortium of European fusion laboratories, are inviting companies to discover and benefit from fusion spinoff technologies.

The website offers companies and experts a diverse  of technologies developed by F4E’s industrial partners and EUROfusion laboratories as part of work for international research programmes and projects such as: ITER, Europe's stration fusion power plant, the joint Europe/Japan  tokamak, the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (), and the International Fusion Energy Research Center .

"Our experts work to identify their business potential and to facilitate their commercial use. Our services are offered to all companies looking for new market opportunities. We are here to help entrepreneurs, scientists and business willing to integrate fusion technologies in the development of their products," according to the marketplace website.

See all information .

Fusion for Energy (F4E) has opened a Call of Expressions of Interest for collaboration with private sector fusion initiatives. Its aim is "to support the growth and success of Europe's private sector and foster innovative collaborations that will drive the future of fusion energy."

Interested private sector fusion initiatives must: 1) be established with the purpose of developing a fusion device or technologies specific to fusion (or have a business unit dedicated to this goal); 2) indicate the areas of interest for collaboration which may be fusion-related technical areas, or non-technical (e.g., supply chain, legal, etc.); 3) and have their centre of interest or main operations in an F4E Member State (currently the 27 EU Member States).

If there is a mutual interest to cooperate, an agreement will be signed to allow collaboration in fields to be defined jointly such as, not limited to: exchange of knowledge, information and experience, expertise in fusion technologies, fusion supply chain, corporate governance, scientific analysis etc. No transfer of funds from F4E is foreseen under the terms of the call.

See the related story on the .

See the Call for Interest .

Manufactured by Hyundai Heavy Industries, the fourth and last vacuum vessel sector procured by Korea took to the sea on 24 August. The massive 440-tonne component will travel for approximately one month before reaching the Mediterranean. Due to the situation in the Horn of Africa waters, the ship will take the long way home, rounding the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of the African continent and sailing all the way north to the Strait of Gibraltar to enter the Mediterranean.

Pre-registration ends on 10 September 2024 for the 13th ITER International School, which will be held from 9 to 13 December 2024 in Nagoya hosted by National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), Japan. The theme of the 13th School is "Magnetic Fusion Diagnostics and Data Science."

Diagnostics are key to the achievement of ITER fusion power demonstration goals and they require the application of a wide range of techniques. But diagnostics are not enough to ensure ITER's success; only through advanced analysis of the data they provide will it be possible to guide the experiments towards their fusion power goals. It is timely to address these multidisciplinary areas in the ITER school.

To register, and for all information, .

Fred Mills of  construction channel on YouTube returned to the ITER site this summer to report on ITER after a  produced in 2022 amassed 4 million views.

In a sleekly produced 30-minute feature he reminds his audience of the potential of nuclear fusion ... and the many challenges. He recounts how the international collaboration got its start in the 1980s, how facility construction began in 2010, and how today, in the context of challenges in assembling the one-million-component machine, the teams are collaborating to solve engineering challenges and deliver solutions.

He calls ITER "the planet's most monumental build." The scale of the ambition, the extent of the engineering, the attention to detail is honestly mind-blowing," he says. "It’s hard to think that the place where I’m standing could one become the birthplace of a new form of energy. This spot could literally see the start of something that could change the world." 

Views have already topped 450,000. See the video on YouTube .

The Board of Directors of  (FPA) has announced its 2024 Excellence in Fusion Engineering Awards. The awards will be presented at Fusion Power Associates 45th Annual Meeting and Symposium "Fusion Energy: Progress, Challenges and Promise," December 2-3, in Washington, DC.

Cami Collins, of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is recognized for her pioneering scientific contributions, including first observation of critical gradient-driven energetic particle transport. The Board also notes her exemplary leadership in advancing U.S. community plans, exceptional record of plasma physics outreach, and strong advocacy for advancing women engagement in fusion research.

Annie Kritcher, of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is recognized for her multi-year leadership of the design activity that led to the achievement of fusion ignition on NIF (National Ignition Facility). The Board noted that, using complex multi-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics simulations, her target designs were used over several years for a set of experiments with a range of target specifications and laser pulse shapes leading to the successes on NIF.

FPA Excellence in Fusion Engineering Awards have been given annually since 1987, in memory of MIT Professor David J. Rose, to recognize persons in the relatively early part of their careers who have shown both technical accomplishment and potential to become exceptionally influential leaders in the fusion field. A list of previous recipients can be found at  and click on Awards.

A 440-tonne sector of the ITER vacuum vessel completed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd was transported to the Korean port of Mipo on Friday 23 August. It shipped on 24 August and is expected to reach ITER next month.

This is the fourth and final vacuum vessel sector expected from Korea. Three other sectors arrived respectively in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The torus-shaped ITER vacuum vessel will be formed from nine vacuum vessel sectors. Five sectors are expected from the European Domestic Agency including one, sector #5, later this year.

The  has released its 2024 Global Fusion Industry Report. The report, which surveyed 45 companies, found that the fusion industry has attracted over USD 7.1 billion in investment, with USD 900 million in new funds since last year. Total public funding increased by 57% in the last 12 months to USD 426 million, showing that governments increasingly see public-private partnerships as central to making commercial fusion a reality. It also showed the United States leading commercial fusion, with 25 companies, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and China. Additionally, employment in private fusion firms grew by 34% to over 4,000.

More information is available .

The ITER Organization has signed an agreement on technical cooperation with TAE Technololgies. 

This private fusion energy company located in California is developing a proprietary compact, linear device called "an advanced beam-driven field-reversed configuration" designed to operate with hydrogen-boron fuel. Two subsidiaries—TAE Power Solutions (for a more efficient and resilient power grid) and TAE Life Sciences (novel cancer drugs)—complement its fusion power activities, which have been underway since the company's founding in 1998.

The purpose of the agreement between TAE and ITER is "to promote cooperation and exchange in technical fields of mutual interest." "Together, we will work to advance the development of fusion power and a well-trained workforce," said the company in a post on .

-- ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi (second from left) meets (left to right) Chief Technology Officer Artem Smirnov, SVP Fusion Science Sergei Putvinski, CEO Michl Binderbauer, and VP R&D Mike Meekins during a recent visit to TAE Headquarters.

The Board of Directors of (FPA) has announced its 2024 Leadership Awards. The awards will be presented at Fusion Power Associates 45th Annual Meeting and Symposium "Fusion Energy: Progress, Challenges and Promise," December 2-3, in Washington, DC.

Ian Chapman (UKAEA, left) is recognized for the broad range of his technical and management skills, including the completion of the JET scientific mission and the expansion of the UKAEA Culham Laboratory's role in establishing a UK national focus on moving more quickly toward fusion power.

Constantin Haefner (Fraunhofer Institut, right) is recognized for his demonstrated leadership in the areas of state-of-the-art laser and optical technology for inertial fusion, high energy density physics and the generation of secondary sources for a range of applications, and the role he is playing in elevating national attention on fusion energy development.

FPA Leadership Awards have been given annually since 1980 to recognize persons who have shown outstanding leadership qualities in accelerating the development of fusion as a commercial power source. A list of previous recipients can be found at and click on Awards.

On 2 July, the Fusion Industry Association released its 2024 Supply Chain Report. The report—an updated version of last year's—surveys fusion developers and suppliers to get a snapshot of where the supply chain stands as the fusion industry grows. Designed to capture and analyze trends, challenges, and opportunities within the industry, the report "aims to serve as a resource to better understand the scope of supply and demand in fusion energy, and to guide investment and policy strategy to support the realization of commercial fusion power at scale."

More information available .

The Board of Directors of (FPA) has announced the recipients of its 2024 Distinguished Career Awards. The awards will be presented at Fusion Power Associates 45th Annual Meeting and Symposium, Fusion Energy: Progress, Challenges and Promise, 2-3 December 2024 in Washington, D.C.

E. Michael Campbell is recognized for his decades of scientific and managerial leadership of inertial confinement fusion programs at LLNL, General Atomics and the University of Rochester, and consulting/advisory contributions at many other institutions. The Board especially notes the seminal early roles he played that led to the construction of the National Ignition Faciiity, that then led to the recent first laboratory demonstration of fusion ignition.

Bruno Van Wonterghem is recognized for his decades of tenacious dedication to scientific and operational excellence in bringing both the LLNL Beamlet and NIF facilities to completion and successful operations. The Board especially notes his many scientific  publications contributing to understanding laboratory inertial confinement fusion and his managerial expertise that has enabled thousands of groundbreaking laser-plasma experiments.

FPA Distinguished Career Awards have been given annually since 1987 to recognize individuals who have made distinguished lifelong career contributions to fusion energy development. A list of previous recipients is at  and click on Awards.

In the communiqué published on 14 June 2024 at the close of the G7 Summit in Italy, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States listed fusion energy among the initiatives and commitments having the potential to advance efforts to address the triple global crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. 

Under the sub-heading of "Energy, Climate and Environment," the communiqué states:

"Fusion energy technology has the potential to provide a lasting solution to the global challenges of climate change and energy security. We will promote international collaborations to accelerate the development and demonstration of fusion plants to foster private investments and public engagement. With this aim, we commit to establishing a G7 Working Group on Fusion Energy. We will also work towards consistent approaches to fusion regulations. To enhance cooperation in this field, we welcome Italy and the International Atomic Energy Agency's decision to host in Rome the inaugural ministerial meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group."

Read the full communiqué .

Fusion For Energy (F4E) will be hosting a roundtable, taking place on 25-26 June in Barcelona, Spain, on International Frameworks for Fusion Technology Development. The event will host scientists, industry representatives, and public sector representatives, addressing topics such as new technologies, and current advancements and challenges in the industry.

Register for the event .

Leading European companies are joining forces to establish the European Fusion Association (EFA).

The initiative, which will be formally established in the next few months, aims to address one of the biggest challenges for the coming decades: enhancing strategic autonomy for clean energy with fusion energy being key to this ambition. The EFA seeks to build a "strong, world-class European fusion ecosystem that ensures a sustainable long-term supply chain for fusion energy," according to the press release, believing that "only a united Europe can achieve true success in this field and prevent the fragmentation of the European industry into isolated national entities."

The group says the idea germinated during the ITER Private Sector Fusion Workshop, held in May 2024, driven by a shared belief that Europe covers all necessary technologies and know-how to develop a fusion energy system in Europe. The founding members include Alsymex (France), ASG (Italy), Assystem (France), Bruker EAS (Germany), Demaco (Netherlands), Gauss Fusion (Europe), IDOM (Spain), Simic (Italy), Subra (Denmark) and Trumpf (Germany).

Read more about the European Fusion Association .

In this bonus episode of the ITER podcast, hear some of the voices of those who took part in the first Private Sector Fusion Workshop at ITER Headquarters in May.

"Future Stars" was recorded on site as hundreds of people were meeting, comparing notes, and exploring possible paths to collaboration—all in the context of ITER asking "How can we help?"

Listen to the latest episode directly on the ITER website or soon through , , , , , or .

The world met at VivaTech, Europe's biggest startup and tech event, and ITER was part of it! With more than 165,000 attendees, 400 speakers and 13,500 startups, Vivatech shattered records and brought together prestigious personalities such as Elon Musk, John Kerry, the Williams sisters and many more.

While artificial intelligence was the hot topic, energy was also discussed on stage and nuclear fusion was part of the discussion. ITER scientist Richard Pitts captivated the VivaTech crowd with a debate with Hartmut Ruhl from Marvel Fusion about the current status of fusion energy the technical challenges remaining on the road to commercialization.

Among the many prestigious visitors, Sylvie Retailleau, French Minister of Higher Education and Research, paid a visit to the ITER booth and confirmed her support and interest in this "fascinating project that will be one the options to delivering a carbon-free energy source for the generations to come." Minister Retailleau toured the ITER site in July 2023.

Sylvie Retailleau, French Minister of Higher Education and Research, paid a visit to the ITER booth and confirmed her support and interest for the project.

Registration is open for the 13th ITER International School (IIS), which will take place from 9 to 13 December 2024 in Nagoya, Japan, hosted by National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS).

The aim is to prepare young scientists and engineers for working in the field of nuclear fusion and in research applications associated with the ITER Project. The adoption of a "school" format was a result of the need to prepare future scientists and engineers on a range of different subjects and to provide them with a wide overview of the interdisciplinary skills required by ITER.

The subject of the 2024 school is "Magnetic Fusion Diagnostics and Data Science," with a scientific program coordinated by Profs. M. Yokoyama and K. Tanaka (National Institute for Fusion Science) and Drs. M. Kocan and S. McIntosh (ITER Organization). Diagnostics are key to the achievement of ITER fusion power demonstration goals, and they require the application of a wide range of techniques. However, diagnostics are not enough to ensure ITER's success; only through the advanced analysis of the data they provide will it be possible to guide the experiments towards their fusion power goals. More information is available .

The deadline for pre-registration and abstract submission is 1 September 2024. Register .