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Nuclear fusion: forecasts of the development of the field
The International Fusion Industry Association (FIA) has published a new report on the state of the industry. According to the document, investments in nuclear fusion have increased almost 2.5 times over the year. In this case, we are talking about commercial programs. Such dynamics suggest that the sector will be able to introduce reactors within 10-15 years.
The growth of investments in commercial programs indicates that investors are increasingly interested in fusion technology and consider it a promising direction. If this trend continues for a long time, we can discuss creating affordable solutions and putting them into practice.
In the course of the FIA survey, it became known that investments in private projects related to fusion processes increased by 139% and reached 2.83 billion dollars. At the same time, experts note the importance of commercial developments in the field of fusion as the main source of progress in this area.
For its report, the association interviewed representatives of 33 companies, 10 more than participated in last year’s report. FIA selected major business representatives, for example, in the past 12 months, six companies from the list in the total amount raised more than $ 200 million. Also among those surveyed are Helion Energy, which raised $500 million, and sector leader Commonwealth Fusion Systems with $1.8 billion. During the year, new players also appeared in the market – a total of eight startups that are involved in fusion technology. All of this shows an increase in investor confidence in the sector and its prospects.
Experts believe that the technology will be able to go beyond theory and testing and become a useful industry for practical applications. The same opinion is held by the surveyed companies; 93% of them are sure that after 2030, fusion reactors will be used to generate electricity. In the last survey, 83% of companies were confident of this. 84% of current respondents believe that the cost of a fusion plant will be relatively low with a high level of efficiency. This will increase the viability of commercial use of the technology.
The main market for fusion will remain electricity generation. In addition, the segment is in demand for the production of environmentally friendly fuels, such as hydrogen.
According to experts, the development of fusion technologies will accelerate the achievement of decarbonization goals, which are among the key ones for most countries. Therefore, it is important to support the interest of investors in this area, to popularize and finance commercial developments. And the state and its assistance should play an important role. However, so far we cannot talk about comprehensive measures to promote the sector, because the technology still remains in the theoretical plane, although extremely promising.