The International Atomic Energy Agency's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi today presented the World Fusion Outlook (WFO), a new regular publication providing authoritative information and updates on fusion energy. It is expected to become a global reference for energy R&D, technology development and prospective deployment of fusion as a source of unlimited, low carbon energy.
Director General Grossi launched the World Fusion Outlook 2023, Fusion Energy: Present and Future, during the opening press conference of the 29th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC). The FEC takes place from 16 to 21 October, bringing together prominent scientists, researchers, engineers, and other public and private stakeholders.
The report says that recent progress suggests fusion could be part of the global long-term plan for net zero and climate change mitigation and satisfy rising electricity demands. However, it also lists many steps needed to realize this technology.
“Advances made in various disciplines, from physics and computational science to engineering and material science and qualification of components, are steadily transitioning fusion energy from vision to reality,” the Director General states in the publication’s foreword.
Outlining significant achievements in fusion R&D and technology development, the WFO describes development needs, technology gaps and other obstacles in transforming ongoing R&D into deployable fusion energy technology.
As the challenges associated with fusion science and technology are formidable, increased private funding combined with State commitment is needed to drive fusion energy forward, Director General Grossi writes.
Exploring legal and regulatory perspectives, the WFO stresses the need to adapt and develop frameworks for the prospective deployment of fusion power plants.
The WFO also references how the IAEA supports the global strive towards commercial fusion energy across disciplines and borders. As a hub for fusion R&D and technology development for scientific exchange, the IAEA partners with institutions worldwide, fosters gender parity and is essential in making fusion knowledge available to all its Member States.
“The IAEA has been promoting fusion energy and development for over 60 years, and it continues to strongly support research and development and future deployment by bringing the fusion community together to create solutions for both scientific and technological challenges,” the Director General points out.
The new World Fusion Outlook complements a wealth of established IAEA resources for fusion R&D and technology development, including the Fusion Portal, databases, nuclear data libraries, and publications, most prominently the IAEA’s Nuclear Fusion journal, the foremost academic journal in the field.