Operators of JT-60SA—a joint international fusion experiment being built by Japan and Europe in Naka, Japan—achieved the first tokamak plasma in the machine in late October, making it the world’s largest operational tokamak.
UKIFS takes reigns of the U.K.’s STEP fusion program
Leadership of the United Kingdom’s STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) fusion program has transitioned to U.K. Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd. (UKIFS), a wholly owned subsidiary...
What’s different about Pacific Fusion’s pulsed magnetic concept?
With more than 40 fusion development companies announcing plans and funding, it’s hard for a newcomer to stand out, but Pacific Fusion is giving it a try. The company, based in Fremont,...
TEPCO restarts trial retrieval of Fukushima fuel debris
Tokyo Electric Power Company announced yesterday that is has recommenced a trial exercise to retrieve nuclear fuel debris from Unit 2 of Japan’s damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power...
Australian undergrads are crafting a tokamak device
Commercial nuclear power is illegal in Australia, and it has been since the 1990s. This past June, however, the country’s main opposition party announced plans to build seven commercial...
Colorado State begins constructing laser lab as public-private research hub
In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the outskirts of Fort Collins, Colo.—home to Colorado State University—work began this month on a new laser facility funded by a public-private...
General Atomics releases FUSE—an open-source fusion power design tool
Earlier this month, General Atomics made its Fusion Synthesis Engine (FUSE) software available to others who want to design and build magnetic confinement fusion power plants....
DOE issues $49 million to shift national lab research toward fusion energy vision
The Department of Energy announced yesterday a total of $49 million in funding for 19 projects in the Foundational Fusion Materials, Nuclear Science, and Technology programs that span...
Reports: Japan’s leaders call for nuclear reactor restarts
During some of his first public remarks last week, Japan’s new economy minister Yoji Muto promoted the importance of nuclear energy for his nation.Muto said the new...
Senators probe global competition in fusion energy deployment
Hours before the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) opened a scheduled September 19 hearing on fusion energy technology development, CNN published an article titled...
Dust: Trapped by a laser or threatening ITER, it’s making headlines
Start talking about dust in a vacuum, and some people will think of household chores. But dust has featured in recent nuclear science and engineering headlines in curious ways: ITER is...
