A Plan for the Development of Fusion Energy (Final Report to Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee, Fusion Development Path Panel)

Technical Report · Wed Mar 05 04:00:00 UTC 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1178807· OSTI ID:1178807

This report presents a plan for the deployment of a fusion demonstration power plant within 35 years, leading to commercial application of fusion energy by mid-century. The plan is derived from the necessary features of a demonstration fusion power plant and from the time scale defined by President Bush. It identifies critical milestones, key decision points, needed major facilities and required budgets. Recent advances in the science and technology of fusion energy have dramatically improved the prospect for practical fusion power. The goal of a self-sustaining, burning fusion plasma is planned to be achieved both in inertial fusion with the National Ignition Facility and in magnetic fusion with the international ITER experiment. These experiments form a basis for this plan, and the need for their full exploitation underlies its near-term urgency.

• Research Organization: US Department Of Energy, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Science (SC)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) (SC-24)
• OSTI ID: 1178807
• Report Number(s): DOE/SC--0074
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY