Aim is to ‘jointly design, build and operate’ nuclear plants
UK-based Tokamak Energy has announced plans to work with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation on the development, implementation and scaling-up of commercial fusion energy “in Japan and worldwide”.
The new partnership will see Sumitomo – a multinational company with interests ranging from construction to chemicals – contribute expertise and investment to a series of joint projects with Tokamak Energy focused on the scaling-up and industrialisation of the global fusion supply chain.
They will jointly develop early market strategies for Tokamak Energy’s fusion technology in Japan and other nations. “The ultimate aim for both organisations is to jointly design, build and operate fusion power plants at scale,” Tokamak Energy said in a statement.
The statement said the collaboration will enable Sumitomo Corporation to offer the financing, construction and operation of fusion power plants. Tokamak Energy will accelerate the commercialisation and industrialisation of its spherical tokamak devices in the late 2030s.
Tokamak Energy is developing a commercial fusion power plant, which it says will generate enough electricity to power 50,000 homes in the 2030s.
The company’s ST-E1 pilot plant will demonstrate the capability of delivering electricity into the grid in the early 2030s and pave the way for globally deployable 500-MW commercial plants that can be built next to large populations and centres of industry where power and heat is needed.
