Recent progress suggests nuclear fusion could be part of the global long-term plan for net zero, but “formidable” challenges remain and increased private funding combined with state commitment is needed to drive the sector forward, International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi said.

Addressing the 29th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference in London, Grossi said fusion can play a role in climate change mitigation and satisfy rising electricity demands, but “many steps are needed to realise this technology”.

He said fusion is making progress and “we are closer than we believe”. More than $6bn  (€5.7bn) has gone into private sector fusion projects, but the next step needs to be taken from experiment to demonstration, and then to commercial fusion energy production.

One of the most significant challenges is plasma confinement, or confining the hot fusion plasma inside the reactor core.