Helical Fusion and National Institute for Fusion Science Establish 'HF Collaboration Research Group' and Dedicated Experimental Space for Early Commercial Fusion Reactor Deployment
13 Mayo 2024 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Helical Fusion has entered a partnership agreement with the
National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) in March 2024. NIFS
has established the "HF Collaboration Research Group" with
activities starting in April, special experimental research space
has been dedicated onsite at NIFS, which already houses the world's
largest superconductor and fusion experimental facility, for
Helical Fusion. With its support from NIFS, Helical Fusion will
accelerate the realization of the world's first commercial fusion
reactor.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240507957768/en/
Co-Founder, CEO of Helical Fusion Takaya
Taguchi (left) and Chief of Industry-Academia-Government
Coordination Section of NIFS Ryo Yasuhara (right), shake hands at
NIFS in Toki-City, Gifu, Japan. (Photo: Business Wire)
[Background] Against the backdrop of a projected global
population increase of ~1.7 billion by 2050* and the corresponding
surge in worldwide electricity demand, conventional power
generation methods alone are expected to struggle to meet these
needs. Fusion power offers a clean and safe alternative, utilizing
inexhaustible fuel supplies, such as seawater, and thus holds the
promise as a technology capable of fundamentally addressing these
global challenges. With Japan's energy self-sufficiency rate at a
low of 13.3% and fossil fuel dependency still exceeding 80%**,
research and development efforts have been underway to secure
future baseload power sources.
NIFS, boasting one of the world's largest fusion experimental
facilities, the Large Helical Device (LHD) in Gifu prefecture,
Japan, has been at the forefront of research into helical-type
fusion reactors since its establishment by the government in 1989,
yielding remarkable results on a global scale. Building on NIFS's
expertise, Helical Fusion was founded in 2021, leveraging the speed
and agility typical of startups to lead the development of the
world's first commercial steady fusion reactor.
While individual collaborative research efforts have been
ongoing with NIFS, the firm establishment of the "HF Collaboration
Research Group" going forward, as well as a dedicated experimental
space, marks a significant step toward strengthening cooperation,
aimed towards the early social implementation of fusion energy.
Reference: for the press release from the National Institute for
Fusion Science, click here)
[Comment from Mr. Takaya TAGUCHI (Co-founder, CEO of Helical
Fusion)] Helical Fusion is a startup born from the wealth of
cutting-edge research achievements and expertise accumulated by
NIFS over more than 30 years. We have conducted numerous joint
research projects with NIFS in areas such as high-temperature
superconducting magnets and liquid metal blankets. Given the
growing global expectations of the helical-stellarator fusion
approach, to operate as a steady-state commercialized reactor, we
have further strengthened our collaboration to accelerate
development by establishing this department, as well as setting up
dedicated experimental research space. This will not only
accelerate joint research but also advance progress in our
proprietary tech development, particularly in the field of
high-temperature superconducting magnets. We express our feelings
of appreciation to the NIFS team for their cooperation and strive
to meet everyone's expectations by furthering our efforts in
research and development, so as to lead development with global
competition towards an operation ready, steady-state fusion
reactor. Furthermore, we aim to contribute to the creation of
industries where Japan's proud technologies, from basic research to
high-end manufacturing, can be leveraged.
[Comment from Mr. Ryo Yasuhara (Chief of
Industry-Academia-Government Coordination Section, NIFS)] The
National Institute for Fusion Science has established a
collaborative research department with Helical Fusion, called the
"HF Collaboration Research Group", in order to conduct research and
development for the practical implementation of helical-type fusion
reactors. This joint research group will mainly contribute the
specialized knowledge and resources of Helical Fusion and NIFS to
conduct research activities aimed at realizing helical-type fusion
reactor. NIFS aims to contribute to the advancement of fusion
science and the establishment of a broad foundation for science and
technology through research activities at the highest global
standards. We hope that the achievements obtained in this research
group will be a step towards realizing sustainable energy.
*“World Energy Outlook 2023” International Energy Agency
(https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2023) **”The
white paper on energy usage 2022”, Agency for Natural Resources and
Energy
(https://www.enecho.meti.go.jp/about/whitepaper/2023/pdf/)
[About Us] Helical Fusion is a Japanese start-up company aiming
at the social implementation of fusion energy with a magnetic
confinement fusion reactor. Various fusion methods have been
developed in the world over the past 60 years as a next generation
energy source. In Japan, the helical fusion method, which uses a
superconducting helical coil with a double-helical structure
similar to DNA to stably confine high-temperature plasma, has been
developed and nurtured to a great extent. We are aiming to develop
the world's first steady-state fusion reactor by incorporating more
advanced technologies into the helical-stellarator type fusion
reactor. Additionally, Helical Fusion's proprietary development
efforts, including high-temperature superconducting magnet vital
for realizing commercial reactors, have received Japanese SBIR
grant funding, further accelerating progress towards
commercialization.
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Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. PR manager E-mail:
contact@helicalfusion.com TEL: 81-50-5471-5890