![\"Production](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fusion_wendelstein_max_planck_gesellschaft_wolfgang_filser.jpg\")
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Production of a central part of Germany’s existing pilot plant Wendelstein 7-X. Image by Max Planck Gesellschaft \/ Wolfgang Filser.<\/p>\n
\nGermany must seize a \u201cunique historical opportunity\u201d to lead in nuclear fusion technology by committing three billion euros for the construction of demonstration plants, the country\u2019s leading fusion startups said. <\/strong><\/p>\n
With a view to the government\u2019s pending fusion strategy, they argued that public support must move beyond basic research. Industrial pilot projects should be made possible by 2030 – and a first commercial plant later in the same decade. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Germany\u2019s public support for nuclear fusion technology must shift gears to avoid that the country falls behind the US and China, according to a\u00a0joint call<\/a>\u00a0by the country\u2019s leading fusion startups Proxima Fusion, Marvel Fusion and Focused Energy.<\/p>\n
With cabinet discussions about Germany\u2019s fusion strategy scheduled for 1 October, the companies urged the government to commit 3 billion euros by 2029 to build the large-scale demonstration plants\u00a0they have planned<\/a>, which would mark a milestone on the way to commercial applications.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis corresponds to the government funding required to build three pilot plants, which will herald the start of industrial production,\u201d the companies said. Such funds would leverage additional private investment of 20 to 50 percent, they argued, adding that\u00a0the US and China are already pouring billions into the technology in a bid for global leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to establish a genuine fusion industry, funding instruments must move beyond traditional research funding as quickly as possible,\u201d the companies argued. \u201cThe technology has advanced so far that it now urgently needs mechanisms to enable the transition from research to commercial application at the necessary scale and speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe intermediate step of pilot plants significantly reduces the investment risk for the government, industry and private investors, drives the rapid growth of the fusion ecosystem right from the start and creates spillover effects across the German economy,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
The companies also called for a new legal framework to exempt fusion from laws dictating the use of conventional nuclear fission,\u00a0which Germany ended in 2023<\/a>, and for\u00a0EU coordination via the IPCEI<\/a>\u00a0(Important Project of Common European Interest) scheme, which requires member state cooperation and facilitates subsidies. \u201cGermany must actively participate in the planning and implementation of a specific fusion IPCEI to ensure European coordination and exploit synergies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Germany wants to build \u201cworld\u2019s first fusion reactor\u201d <\/p>\n
Germany\u2019s government\u00a0singled out<\/a>\u00a0nuclear fusion as one of six key future technologies two months ago, saying it will present a long-term \u201cFusion Action Plan\u201d this year, which is to be followed by a \u201cFusion Energy Research and Innovation Roadmap (FIRE)\u201d in 2026.<\/p>\n
In their coalition agreement, the parties forming the government – chancellor Friedrich Merz\u2019s conservative\u00a0CDU<\/a>\/CSU<\/a>\u00a0alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD<\/a>) –\u00a0agreed<\/a>\u00a0more support for nuclear fusion research and the goal of building \u201cthe world\u2019s first fusion reactor\u201d. The European Commission\u00a0is\u00a0<\/a>also preparing<\/a>\u00a0an EU fusion strategy.<\/p>\n
Fusion technology\u00a0is still in the experimental stage<\/a>, and even many proponents say that commercial use is at least decades away, meaning that neither Germany nor Europe can count on the technology to become climate neutral by 2045 and 2050 respectively. But researchers and\u00a0investors have become increasingly confident<\/a>\u00a0it one day can provide a safe, climate-friendly, and\u00a0practically inexhaustible\u00a0energy source. Dozens of startups backed by private capital joined the field, bringing new momentum through research milestones.<\/p>\n
Window of opportunity <\/p>\n
The startups argued that Germany is well-placed to turn its leading role in the technology into a long-term advantage, but it must hurry up.<\/p>\n
\u201cGermany boasts unique diversity in fusion technology,\u201d their statement said. The companies pointed out successes in both laser and magnetic fusion, two different approaches with the same goal: fusing light atomic nuclei to release huge amounts of energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cGermany has a unique historical opportunity to develop its own industry with fusion energy and secure its own economic and technical sovereignty in the long term,\u201d they said. \u201cThe launch of the fusion industry and the framework conditions for its success must be decided politically now, in the coming months.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe alternative is clear: without decisive action, the United States and China will take the lead, and Germany and Europe will once again miss out on a future technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
Author:\u00a0S\u00f6ren Amelang<\/strong><\/p>\n
This article was originally published on Clean Energy Wire under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. Read the\u00a0original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n