In a surprising collaboration, German company Bruker and four other European manufacturers, including French group Alcen, have formed Gauss Fusion, a new company aiming to build a gigawatt-scale nuclear fusion power plant. The project, supported by the German government, aims to connect the plant to the grid within 15 to 20 years.
This collaboration marks a significant shift in the energy landscape, as Germany, despite abandoning nuclear fission, is actively pursuing nuclear fusion as a clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy source. Gauss Fusion plans to leverage its industrial expertise and experience in large-scale projects to overcome the immense technological challenges associated with fusion.
The company has chosen the stellarator design for its reactor, a complex but stable configuration that allows for continuous energy production. The project's main challenges include securing a sufficient supply of tritium, a crucial element for the fusion reaction, and obtaining the necessary funding.
Gauss Fusion is actively seeking investors and exploring government grants to support the estimated 18 billion euro project. The company ultimately aims to reduce the cost of fusion power plants to around 10 billion euros, equivalent to an EPR fission reactor, and believes that Europe will need around 200 such plants by 2100.
