United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
(UKAEA), the UK's national organisation responsible for the
research and delivery of sustainable fusion energy, and Eni have
entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly conduct
research and development activities in the field of fusion
energy, the Italian energy giant said in a statement on Friday.
The collaboration starts with the construction of the world's
largest and most advanced tritium fuel cycle facility, a vital
fuel for future fusion power stations, it said.
The "UKAEA-Eni Tritium Loop Facility" at Culham Campus is set to
be completed in 2028.
Tritium recovery and re-use will play a fundamental role in the
supply and generation of the fuel in future fusion power plants
and will be crucial in making the technology increasingly
efficient, Eni explained.
The "UKAEA-Eni H3AT Tritium Loop Facility" is designed to serve
as a world-class facility providing industry and academia the
opportunity to study how to process, store and recycle tritium,
according to the statement.
Under the cooperation agreement, UKAEA and Eni will collaborate
to develop advanced technological solutions in fusion energy and
related technologies, including skills transfer initiatives.
Eni will contribute to the H3AT project with its expertise in
managing and developing large-scale projects, helping to de-risk
its roadmap.
Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi said "fusion energy is meant to
revolutionise the global energy transition path, accelerating
the decarbonisation of our economic and industrial systems,
helping to spread access to energy, and reducing energy
dependency ties within a more equitable transition framework".
"Eni is strongly committed to various areas of research and
development of this complex technology, in which it has always
firmly believed. Today with our UK partners we are laying the
foundations for further progress towards the goal of fusion
which—if we consider its enormous scope of technological
innovation—is increasingly concrete and not so far off in time.
To continue this virtuous development, international
system-level technological partnerships like this one are
indispensable", said Descalzi.
Commenting on the agreement, UK Climate Minister, Kerry
McCarthy, expressed pride "to be at the forefront of global
innovation in clean energy fusion technologies, and this
collaboration with Eni marks a significant step towards
unlocking the potential of fusion energy, supporting our
missions for economic growth, clean power and energy
independence".
Meanwhile Professor Sir Ian Chapman, CEO of UKAEA, said "fusion
energy can contribute to a net zero future, including going
beyond the decarbonisation of electricity".
The H3AT demonstration plant will set a new benchmark as the
largest and most advanced tritium fuel cycle facility in the
world, paving the way for innovative offerings in fusion fuel
and demonstrating the UK's leadership in this crucial area of
research and development".
Eni has invested significantly in research, development, and the
implementation of technologies to progressively decarbonise its
energy mix and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Meanwhile UKAEA's mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable
fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit,
aiming to solve the challenges of this new energy source, from
design through to decommissioning with world-leading science and
engineering.
The partnership will combine UKAEA's extensive expertise in
fusion research and development with Eni's established
industrial-scale capabilities in plant engineering,
commissioning, and operations, the statement said.
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