Accelerated development of fusion power

• I. Cook
• N. Taylor
• D. Ward
• L. Baker
• T. Hender

In the last decade there has been great progress in the plasma physics, materials science and technology of fusion power, which is now moving towards practical realisation. There is a clear path to the realisation of economic and environmentally attractive electrical power generation: the main technological requirements are known, and approaches to the resolution of the principal issues have been evolved and broadly accepted. It remains to assemble these activities into an integrated and focussed programme, implemented within an international framework and evolving from the present laboratory-based research to industrial exploitation. The urgent need to find global solutions to the provision of environmentally benign sources of power has led to a widespread acceptance of a ‘fast track’ approach to fusion development. This paper, which is a discussion document, proposes a ‘fast track road map’. It provides an outline plan for fusion development, starting immediately and leading to one or more electricity generating prototype power plants (DEMOs), connected to the grid, which can be directly followed by the construction of commercial fusion power plants. It could be of use to decision-makers, funding bodies and implementing organisations. The programme outlined in this paper is not a prediction of what will occur. It is a description of what can be done, and what must be done, to make the accelerated development of fusion power actually happen. Effective implementation of the programme requires a change of culture in the fusion community to a project-oriented, “industrial”, approach, accompanied of course by the necessary political backing and funding. The entire cost of the fusion development programme outlined in this paper is equal to only a week or so of spending in the (three trillion Euro per year) international energy markets.