Europe’s first conceptual design for a commercial fusion power plant unveiled this week by German firm Gauss. The 1,000-page report is co-authored by hundreds of European specialists. Gauss envisions a ‘Eurofighter for Fusion’ – a pan-European program to secure energy sovereignty by the 2040s

25 comments

1. [Source](https://interestingengineering.com/energy/europe-commercial-fusion-plant-design?utm_source=facebook,instagram,twitter&utm_medium=social)

2. I’ll believe it when I see it. They’ve been promising fusion power for decades.

3. Please dont include the French, please dont include the French

4. I spy a stellarator

5. *This step is crucial to shift from fusion research to reality. Comprising over one thousand pages of technical detail, the CDR addresses all critical systems required to build the first fusion power plant – from overall architecture, design basis, and design concept, to safety framework, qualification strategy, system engineering, lifecycle operations and radioactive waste considerations, among others.*

   *This exercise results in €15-18 billion to bring the first-of-a-kind commercial fusion reactor by mid-2040s.*

6. That’s nice, how’s ITER going?

7. Is the Gauss planning a financing round or an IPO? Otherwise, I don’t quite understand the news value here. Is this more than a start-up business plan and a stylish marketing brochures, or is there anything tangible?

8. God give it works.

9. Energy sovereignty would be an absolute geopolitical game changer for the EU. This should be (and should have been) one of the top priorities to implement for the EU. ITER is taking way too long. We need some real progress asap.

10. [Here’s more.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/689356c86f6a6227a967a41f/68e76ebc8d5b333f21574940_c2425126fa5a80d6717cff28df3255db_Press%20Release_GAUSS%20Fusion%20presents%20comprehensive%20power%20plan%20design_V9.pdf)

11. Yes, please. This is the future

12. Yay – expensive corporate owned energy.

13. Blablabla just like every other company that promised fusion power before 20xx, this is just another cash grab intended to attract and scam investors before closing the company.

    There is no private company that can come up with commercially viable fusion reactors. It’s something that can only exist at state-level.

14. Its very unlikely DEMO will even be built by then so unless they have the kind of resources to create a rival program this seems dead on arrival

15. I’m guessing they are going for magnetic cooling and not monster cooling

16. >Eurofighter for Fusion

    Meh, really sure you want to use this ? Like it did not ended super well in terms of cooperation last time.

17. What I see: Many investments money, Gauss=Shareholder, German Politicians: We hate wind and solar, we wanted nuclear energy, but even the energy companies say “No thanks”. (The same politicians who thought eFuels for cars is a good idea).

18. > Gauss envisions a ‘Eurofighter for Fusion’

    Maybe they should learn to work with the French first and to stick to the specs they agree to. Not to mention, Germany did not *really* take part in ITER.

    And given how fission is viewed in Germany, I will believe it when I see it ; there are many reasons why ITER is not functional yet, and Germany has no edge when it comes to these topics.

19. Wait is there even research one that operates with surplus without omitting some of the confinement and preparation use of power?

20. So ~20yrs. Like the last 100 yrs.

    Our conservatives will missuse this concept as an argument to slow down renewable energy.

    As long as there is no working commercial prototype, there is no fusion energy you can make plans with.

21. We have had already the chance to be independent. Solar industry was 13 years ago destroyed in Germany by incompetent politicians. Greetings to Peter Altmaier and Katherina Reiche.

22. Going full throttle towards nuclear fusion (and fission in the meantime) would be the single best thing the EU could do to secure prosperity.

    I doubt it will happen as there’s a degrowth mind virus going rampant on the continent

23. There have been conceptual designs since the 2000s.

    Come back to me when there is long working reactor. Maybe in 30 years (ha!).

    (Or at least 10 years, when we see how ITER’s wishful thinking timeline pans out.)

24. Here’s the thing: migration is being used as warfare on nations. The Arab spring and the migration into Europa that followed has already been a devastated blow for European countries. So we can assume that there is more to come. Neither the USA, nor the East, will look and wait at Europe gaining sovereignty. It’s literally a race against time now.

25. The EU should ensure its energy sovereignty by reshoring the manufacturing of PV panels and batteries, and heavily invest in geothermal energy.

    Fusion (with a reasonable energy gain) is not realistically achievable in the near future.

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