Fusion energy Innovation and REsearch roadmap (FIRE)

Background and goals

Recent scientific breakthroughs galvanized the development of fusion reactors and power plants. In 2022, the U.S.-based National Ignition Facility achieved the first-ever energy gain from nuclear fusion. Meanwhile, Chinese and European research reactors vie to sustain the extreme conditions necessary for fusion for increasingly long times. These advances sparked a renewed interest among the public, politicians, and investors. The prospect of generating energy from fusion power plants seems just around a corner. With it future with fossil fuel-free, abundant energy would finally be within reach. However, many questions need answering before the first fusion power plant can come to the grid. Chief among them, what technical challenges remain unresolved, how complex they will be, and how long it will take to overcome them. These points are also a matter of debate within the expert community. Governments need clear and scientifically sound information to act strategically in fostering this key technology.

The “Fusion Energy Research and Innovation” (FIRE) project develops a technical framework that guides such action, up to the first fusion power plant. The roadmap will cover the entire technological process of constructing the power plant, and the conditions for its commercial operation. It will also highlight the most significant technical challenges and milestones. A series of interviews and workshops with a diverse group of experts will constitute the foundation for the roadmap. The interviewees cover the entire fusion field, representing scientific fields – for example plasma physics – as well as industry sectors – such as power plant construction. Where possible, the roadmap will show the consensus opinion among experts. Where no consensus exists, the roadmap will present different predictions, alongside their underlying assumptions and preconditions in a transparent manner. It will address a range of challenges, from developing new materials to integrating power plants. Two in-depth studies will complement the roadmap, examining how to secure the necessary workforce and the international supply chains, respectively.