
German nuclear fusion startup envisages test plant by 2031
Summary
Companies
Proxima Fusions targets test plant by 2031
Has collected $65 million to fund next steps
Government-in-waiting supports the technology
Europe competes with US, China
MUNICH, March 12 (Reuters) - Proxima Fusion, a Munich-based nuclear fusion technology company, aims to start a test reactor in 2031 as it works towards commercial electricity production later in that decade, its chief executive said at a public event late on Tuesday.
Unlike the burning of fossil fuels or the fission process of existing nuclear power plants, nuclear fusion offers the vision of abundant energy without pollution, radioactive waste or greenhouse gases, replicating with lasers or magnets the reaction that fuels the sun.
Ideas for a prototype were researched by the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics before the company gathered $65 million in finance, CEO Francesco Sciortino said, pointing also to support from the energy agenda of the newly forming government in Berlin.
"The target is for a pilot plant in 2031," he said.
The test reactor is expected to cost 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion), said Sciortino, without giving details of funding plans.
Worldwide, several initiatives are exploring nuclear fusion trying to prove its viability, namely Commonwealth Fusion Systems of the United States, and China, where the state planning agency has pledged support for research into nuclear fusion.
A large-scale European experiment called ITER, opens new tab in southern France is, however, is years behind schedule and far from coming online.
Germany's Christian Democratic party (CDU), which with its Bavarian sister party CSU will likely lead the incoming coalition government, said in energy plans last November it aimed to create a regulatory framework for fusion technology in Germany and Europe.
Bavaria is also home to Proxima rivals Marvel Fusion and Gauss Fusion.
The recent European Union Clean Industrial Deal also mentioned that proposals should be made for a fusion strategy to help promote next-generation energy.
($1 = 0.9158 euros)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
15 minutes ago
- Reuters
Ukraine brings home new group of POWs, Zelenskiy says
KYIV, June 10 (Reuters) - Ukraine on Tuesday returned a new group of prisoners of war as part of an earlier agreement with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. "Today marks the first stage of the return of our seriously wounded and injured soldiers from Russian captivity. All of them require immediate medical attention. This is an important humanitarian act," Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messenger.


Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
Denmark picks French, German and Norwegian air defence suppliers
COPENHAGEN, June 10 (Reuters) - Denmark will acquire short-range air defence systems from MBDA France, Germany's Diehl Defence and Kongsberg Gruppen ( opens new tab of Norway, the Nordic country's defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in February ordered the military to go on a buying spree to beef up the country's defences in preparation for potential future Russian aggression in Europe. Denmark will spend over six billion Danish crowns ($919 million) on the artillery acquisition, with the first deliveries expected in 2026, the defence ministry said. Denmark received 10 offers, including from suppliers in Turkey, Israel and Italy, and decided in the end to buy systems from French and German suppliers and to lease one from Norway's Kongsberg, it added. ($1 = 6.5304 Danish crowns)


Reuters
16 minutes ago
- Reuters
China is only 3-6 months behind US in AI, Trump official says
WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - China is three to six months behind the United States in artificial intelligence, White house AI and crypto czar David Sacks said Tuesday at an event in Washington, warning that excess U.S. AI regulation could damage American innovation in the industry. "China is not years and years behind us in AI. Maybe they're 3-6 months,' said Sacks, speaking at the AWS summit in Washington. "It's a very close race."