World's first IAEA collaboration center for fusion energy research, training established in SW China

CHENGDU -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Collaborating Center for Fusion Energy Research and Training was officially inaugurated in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, during the Second Ministerial Meeting of the IAEA World Fusion Energy Group and 30th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference.

China attaches great importance to the development of fusion energy, stated Shan Zhongde, director of the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) at the opening ceremony of the meeting. The country has constructed multiple large-scale scientific facilities and is actively fostering deeper integration of industry, academia, and research, alongside strengthening international cooperation, Shan added.

Fusion energy, a crucial direction for the peaceful use of nuclear energy, offers prominent advantages compared to fission energy, including higher energy density, abundant raw material resources, lower radioactive contamination, and inherent safety. It is one of the important future development directions for clean energy.

China will work together with the IAEA, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), and all nations to continuously advance global energy innovation and sustainable development, promote the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to building a clean, beautiful, and sustainable world, allowing fusion energy to better benefit humankind, Shan noted.

The establishment of the center, which marks a significant leap in China's international status and influence in the field of fusion energy, will inject momentum into Chengdu's efforts to build a global fusion energy innovation hub and advance the commercialization of controllable nuclear fusion, according to Huang Ping, secretary-general of the CAEA.

The center will promote efficient collaboration among domestic and foreign universities, research institutions and innovative enterprises, and give full play to the role of major scientific facilities such as China's new-generation "artificial sun" HL-3, so as to accelerate major technological breakthroughs and the incubation of original achievements in the field of fusion.

The World Fusion Energy Group was launched by the IAEA in October 2023. It aims to strengthen international consensus and promote increased investment from national nuclear technology industries and public and private institutions to accelerate the engineering demonstration and commercial application process of fusion energy.

Themed "For the Clean Energy Future," the Second Ministerial Meeting of the IAEA World Fusion Energy Group released a report on the fusion energy outlook.