Fusion Power

A breakthrough device to ‘put fusion power into the grid’ by 2030.

17:46 01 February 2017

Tokamak Energy has put forward the most ambitious project to win the race in ending the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. The fusion power firm would start operating its fusion reactor this spring and claims to create a breakthrough device that will ‘put fusion power into the grid’ by 2030.

 

David Kingham, chief executive of Tokamak Energy, said: 'By pursuing this route, fusion researchers around the world, including at Tokamak Energy, are developing new materials and technologies to help us get fusion power into the grid by 2030.'

 

The firm’s technology uses high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet that results in high performance relatively lower-power small devices.

 

In 2015, the company released its second reactor that demonstrated 29 hours of continuous plasma, breaking world records.  

 

Mr Kingham said: 'The plasma is where the fusion reaction takes place, and its stability is crucial.'

 

The firm is now working on a new reactor that is expected to produce plasma temperature of 15 million C – hotter than the centre of the sun.

 

Mr Kingham said: 'The ST40 is designed to achieve 100 million°C and get within a factor of ten of energy break-even conditions.

 

'To get even closer to break-even point, the plasma density, temperature and confinement time then need to be fine-tuned.

 

'The next step is to build a reactor that takes this knowledge and uses it to demonstrate first electricity from fusion by 2025.