A group of Canadian scientists and research-oriented General Fusion, are calling on the government to allocate $125 million over the next five years to advance the prospects of developing a nuclear fusion facility.
In a report titled Fusion 2030, the group says that the future of energy could pivot on fusion powered plants that produce very little waste and rely on fuel that doesn't even require mining. The fusion process, which deploys the same process that powers the sun, starts with hydrogen atoms that collide after being heated to extremely high temperatures. The collision releases tremendous amounts of energy. “The prospect of fusion satisfying worldwide demand motivates the large international efforts to harness this clean, sustainable energy source,” the report says. “It can be anticipated that fusion will become an important energy source by mid-century or sooner.”
The report says fusion “will have a transformative positive impact on the world's energy strategies.
The report also notes that fusion power is not cheap with current technological know-how. The largest current undertaking to develop magnetic fusion energy is the multinational ITER project, a $20 billion effort that involves France, the European Union, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the United States and India.
Both China and Korea have named fusion power as national priorities. China has placed fusion power on a short list of five priorities in a 2020 vision report, while Korea has fusion on the national agenda as a line item, the report says.
Meanwhile, “Perhaps surprisingly, Canada is the only developed country without a dedicated national fusion program,” the new report says. “It is hoped that this proposal will help to change this situation.”