Vancouver: Experimental fusion power developer General Fusion announced January 9 that it had entered into an industrial partnership with Hatch Ltd. to bring power plant engineering and other expertise to its Fusion Demonstration Plant project. The partnership includes an investment by Hatch into the recently announced General Fusion US$65 million Series E financing round.
Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund has also released $50 million in additional investment. Other international investors in the company include Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, Bezos Expeditions, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Braemar Energy Ventures, Entrepreneurs Fund, and SET Ventures.
General Fusion’s prototype, which is planned to be completed and tested over the next five years, is to demonstrate the company’s Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) technology at power plant-relevant scale.
“Success in commercializing fusion technology depends on strong engagement by stakeholders in the global energy industry,” said Chief Executive Officer Christofer Mowry. “Hatch is highly respected and capable. They understand the realities of power plant engineering and will help ensure we develop a practical and on-demand cleantech that finally enables the energy transition we are all talking about.”
General Fusion’s latest plasma injector module. General Fusion’s Magnetized Target Fusion system uses a sphere filled with molten lead-lithium that is pumped to form a vortex. A pulse of magnetically-confined plasma fuel is then injected into the vortex. Around the sphere, an array of pistons drive a pressure wave into the centre of the sphere, compressing the plasma to fusion conditions. This process is then repeated, while the heat from the reaction is captured in the liquid metal and used to generate electricity via a steam turbine. (generalfusion.com)
The company believes that energy from controlled nuclear fusion is expected to provide a new source of socially acceptable and economically competitive carbon-free electricity for the world. The hope is that commercially viable fusion power plant technology will complement renewable energy sources and storage solutions to provide a practical transition to a zero-carbon energy future. Ongoing advances in fusion science and enabling technologies are accelerating the global advance from fusion research to commercialization, the company says.
See also "SNC Lavalin subsidiary’s work on ITER extended."