FPN05-48

Europeans Complete Fusion Power Plant Study

June 3, 2005

"A first commercial fusion power plant . . . will be economically acceptable, with major safety and environmental advantages. These models rely on plasma performance marginally better than the design basis for ITER." So concludes a 3-year "Conceptual Study of Commercial Fusion Power Plants," sponsored by the European Commission within the framework of the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA). The final report of the study is available for download at http:www.efda.org click on "downloads" and then click on "EFDA Reports."

Around 100 individuals contributed to the study, which was prepared by an 11-member team headed by D. Maisonnier of the EFDA. The report says, "These studies showed that fusion power has very promising potential to provide inherent safety and favourable environmental features, to address global climate change and gain public acceptance. In particular, fusion energy has the potential of becoming a clean, zero-CO2 emission and inexhaustible energy source. The cost of fusion electricity is likely to be comparable with that from other environmentally responsible sources of electricity generation."

The report concludes that "the main thrusts of the European fusion development programme are on the right lines," and recommends a "performance study" for a fusion Demonstration Power Plant. "The time is now ripe for such a study to give guidance to the (fusion) programme," the report says.