Inaugural Meeting of World Fusion Energy Group
Government ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries, including Portugal, gathered on 6 November at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Rome for the inaugural ministerial meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group (WFEG).
The event is an initiative of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Italian government, underscoring the growing interest and progress in developing fusion technology to provide a clean, safe and limitless source of energy.
The meeting included several members of the Italian government, the IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, and members of the international fusion community, who gathered to discuss key issues for the sector, including the current state of fusion energy, global collaboration, and public-private partnerships.
Representing Portugal, Dr. Bruno Gonçalves, head of IPFN and responsible for the Portuguese participation in the European Fusion programme, joined the discussions, reinforced the importance of the research units in contributing to make fusion a reality: “Fusion has made great progresses, but we should not underestimate the huge challenges that still lie ahead. There are many technological gaps that need to be addressed to make fusion a reality.'
'To solve these scientific and technological challenges, we will need that public and private investment act together. We will need investment both in the research institutions and in the private companies. Building a fusion power plant for commercial deployment is a technological and industrial challenge, but one challenge that we will not win without the support of a strong scientific community.'
He also emphasized the “need to attract people into the fields of engineering and to ensure that, once trained, we are able to keep talent in the field. In this endeavor it will require the involvement of all European countries and research institutions.'
Bruno Gonçalves ensures that “we are very eager to contribute actively to make fusion a reality, as we have been doing in the last 35 years.”
In a further sign of increased interest, the IAEA launched two fusion publications, on the occasion of the meeting in Rome. The World Fusion Outlook 2024 which provides an overview of the current state and direction of the fusion field, highlights emerging plant concepts, projected development timelines, policy frameworks and trends in both public and private investment.
It also covers research output metrics and offers regional and sectoral outlooks. Fusion Key Elements, in turn, addresses six key elements for the commercialisation of fusion, covering topics such as research priorities, safety, global collaboration, and public engagement.
These publications aim to guide the next steps in transforming nuclear fusion into a concrete and sustainable reality.
