The long wait for fusion power may be coming to an end
From the article:
One of the brightest hopes for controlled nuclear fusion, the giant ITER reactor at Cadarache in southeastern France, is now on track to achieve nuclear fusion operation in the mid- to late-2040s, says Dr. William Madia, a former director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory who led an independent review of the ITER project in 2013.
Construction of the ITER reactor — a doughnut-shaped vacuum chamber known as a “tokamak” that spans more than 60 feet — recently passed the halfway point.
Full article - https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/long-wait-fusion-power-may-be-coming-end-ncna833251
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Not so long ago it seemed like a foregone conclusion to me that the first fusion power plant would be built in and by America.
This is in France, along with the LHC.
I guess we don't do big, important things anymore...
Apparently, the new winning leadership is bringing back coal and oil powered electric for us.............
screw the air qualities.....
It is a multinational project and we have a nine percent stake in it. Your article also says Lockheed Martin is developing one that is expected to put power on the grid years before the completion of this one.
It mentions three competitors trying to beat ITER, but also says they're still in development, not under construction. Lockheed Martin is the only one in the US. The others are in Canada and the UK.
If Lockheed Martin beats them all then that would be great, but this is actually the first I've even heard of their effort. It doesn't seem to be much of a national priority, even though viable fusion could be a major game changer.