Time to deliver fusion energy in Europe, removing bottlenecks essential, says EU official [Advocacy Lab Content]

It’s time for the EU to step up and remove bottlenecks preventing fusion energy from its full realisation, at a time when public support and private investments for the development of fusion energy have risen, said the European Commission’s Elena Righi Steele at a recent Euractiv event.

Fusion energy aims to replicate the process that powers the sun and stars, harnessing the energy released when two atoms fuse. Development of fusion energy has gained momentum across Europe, and EU capitals are increasingly signalling public support for the technology, with Italy, Spain and Germany being among the countries interested in developing their nuclear fusion plants.

This process releases large amounts of energy with minimal radioactive waste and greenhouse gas emissions and holds promise for unlocking the potential of fusion as a safe, clean, and virtually limitless source of energy.

As political interest in the technology grows and private investments ramp up, fusion energy is seeing “remarkable progress”, said Elena Righi Steele, head of unit at the European Commission’s research and development department. Righi Steele, a former fusion scientist, told a Euractiv event on 18 March, that fusion is “edging towards [its] realisation.”

“It is probably time to step up our efforts [on developing fusion energy],” Righi Steele, said, adding: “I cannot and will not prejudge what [the next European Commission] are going to decide (…) but we’ve reflected on a number of issues that need to be tackled and will need to be tackled together with the private sector and other member states.”

Unblocking bottlenecks

Fusion energy is a complex and energy-intensive process, and projects aimed at bringing this source into our grids have faced several setbacks. For Cyrille Mai Thanh, director for Europe at the Fusion Industry Association, the sector requires regulatory certainty, funding, and cooperation between public entities and the private sector.

“We need sufficient public funding dedicated to fusion innovation, but also policy incentives that will encourage further private investment towards the fusion sector,” said Mai Thanh at the Euractiv event.

As fusion energy is still at its prototype stage, it currently lacks a full-fledged regulatory framework of its own, compared with other sources such as renewables or nuclear fission. Industry players have long advocated for a clear regulatory framework to give investors certainty over these projects and called for a clear distinction from nuclear fission.

A case in point around the bottlenecks that the industry is facing is the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an international project funded by 35 partner countries, including the European Union, the UK, Switzerland, China, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the US.

The project, located in the south of France, was launched in 2007 but has faced several budget overruns and supply chain constraints that have severely delayed funding and construction. The first reactor is expected to be completed in end-2025 and be fully operational in 2035.

“I think nowhere else than ITER can you see the effect of working under a regulatory framework that is not really designed for the technology you’re trying to industrialise,” said Leonardo Biagioni, head of the ITER Programme at the Barcelona-based agency Fusion for Energy (F4E).

“[Regulatory certainty] is important, but I think what we first and foremost need today is a clear vision expressed by the EU and by its member states about the way and the approach that they want to drive Europe to achieve fusion energy at a certain moment during the 21st century,” he added.

Inspiration from London

An increasing number of countries globally are moving to legislate on fusion energy. The United States and the United Kingdom have set their regulatory frameworks, whereas Japan and Canada are among the countries aiming to develop their own legislation.

It took five years for the UK to develop such a framework, said Ian Chapman, CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, “It was a slow process, to make sure everyone’s bought into it.”

In the framework, fusion energy will be overseen by the UK Environment Agency and its Health and Safety Authority, rather than its Office for Nuclear Regulation – therefore, making a clear distinction between fusion energy and nuclear fission.

Public-private partnerships

The European Commission is currently looking into different options to reduce the bottlenecks that fusion energy development is facing, said Righi Steele.

“We are currently discussing how things could be done, and on what timeframes and how much [funding] because we don’t know what the potential of the market is,” said Righi Steele.

“So, the next couple of years, 2026 and 2027, will be a big test to see how Europe is going to shake up and shape up [in its nuclear fusion future],” she added.

Brussels has intensified contacts with industry in recent months, with several internal consultations including a high-level roundtable event on 14 March, and an expert meeting in Strasbourg at the end of April.

One of the avenues that the Commission wants to explore is the role of public-private partnerships and further collaboration with industry to unleash the potential of this technology.

“It’s time to think more about what can be done together with Europe with public and private [sectors],” said Francesca Ferrazza, head of Magnetic Fusion Initiatives at Eni, which supported the Euractiv event.

“There’s already a path, and that’s important,” she added. “You need technology, you need supply chain, you need people. But you also need a predictable and specific environment to let things happen otherwise you won’t invest. We won’t invest.”

[By Anna Gumbau Martínez I Edited by Brian Maguire | Euractiv’s Advocacy Lab ]

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