China is beating the U.S. in the race for fusion energy

By richardbrown // 2024-07-17

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A high-tech race is underway between the United States and China as both countries chase an elusive and potentially game-changing energy source: nuclear fusion. This technology, which mimics the process powering the sun, could provide almost limitless, clean energy if perfected. China is significantly outspending the U.S. in this race. It has built a massive fusion technology campus and launched a national fusion consortium involving some of its largest industrial companies. (Related: New design suggests a solution for next-gen fusion power plants.) Chinese crews work in three shifts, essentially around the clock, and the country has 10 times as many people with doctorates in fusion science and engineering as the United States. This has caused increasing concern among American officials and scientists. Jean Paul Allain, head of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, reports that China is spending around $1.5 billion a year on fusion, nearly twice the U.S. government's fusion budget. Moreover, China seems to be following a program similar to the roadmap that hundreds of U.S. fusion scientists and engineers published in 2020, which is particularly frustrating to the American scientific community. Scientists familiar with China’s fusion facilities say that if China continues its current pace of spending and development, it will surpass the U.S. and Europe’s magnetic fusion capabilities in three or four years. Fusion, the process of combining atomic nuclei to release vast amounts of energy, faces daunting scientific and engineering challenges. While a breakthrough could benefit humanity, some in the U.S. fear it would give China a significant advantage in the global energy competition.

China racing to make breakthroughs in fusion energy before the U.S.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Plasma Physics in Hefei in eastern China is nearly completed, focusing on industrializing fusion technology. Late last year, China announced the formation of a new national fusion company led by the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation, involving state-owned firms and universities. Private companies like ENN, an energy conglomerate, have built two tokamaks, the machines essential for fusion, using powerful magnets to hold plasma. Interest in fusion has surged worldwide, especially after scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved "ignition" in 2022 – a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it consumed. This breakthrough led to increased investments, with the Biden administration setting a goal for commercial fusion energy within a decade and requesting $1 billion for fusion in its recent budget proposal. Tammy Ma, lead for the Inertial Fusion Energy Initiative at Lawrence Livermore, highlights that the U.S. fusion budget of $790 million for the 2024 fiscal year hasn’t kept pace with inflation, resulting in fewer research grants and positions. Potential cooperation with China over fusion energy is complicated by the increasingly adversarial relationship between Beijing and Washington and the wider Western world. China has heavily invested in raw materials and technologies crucial for fusion and participates in international fusion conferences, though language barriers exist. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), co-chair of the Congressional Fusion Energy Caucus, notes that much U.S. fusion funding goes to legacy programs rather than cutting-edge projects. Dennis Whyte, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, points out that China has rapidly built a world-class fusion program in just a decade, surprising many with its capabilities. The U.S. has an innovative approach but lacks the same level of organization and investment seen in China. The outcome of this race could reshape the future of global energy and power dynamics. As Whyte aptly puts it, "It's not clear to me who will win." Watch this episode of the "Health Ranger Report" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses the future of cold fusion energy with James Martinez. This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

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China racing to make breakthroughs in fusion energy before the U.S.

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