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Nuclear fusion firm Gauss unveils Europe's first power plant design

Gauss Fusion is a German tech company that announced on Thursday that it would hand over Europe's very first fusion plant design within 10 days to the German Chancellery.

Milena Rodeda, CEO of Gauss Fusion, was to present the design during a climate conference hosted by Germany's BDI Industry Federation. This event is just a few days after the German Government announced a 2 billion euro Fusion Action Plan that will last until 2029.

Why does it matter?

Germany has said that it wants to go beyond basic research to adopt an industrial-led approach. It is positioning itself as the global leader in the race for fusion energy, a technology which replicates the process of the sun's power to generate electricity.

The conservative government of Germany supports technology as part of its energy agenda.

What is the context?

The competition is increasing on many fronts, including between private and public companies, between governments in Europe, China and the United States, and also between different technologies, such as plasma confinement or the use of lasers.

Fraunhofer, a German organisation for applied science, said last week that coordinated investment and research in Germany could lead to the production of world-leading laser systems in three to five year.

KEY QUOTES

The Conceptual Design Report brings together the expertise of hundreds of experts across Europe, and proves the technologies, materials, and supply chains needed for fusion. This was stated by Roveda in a recent press release.

In the same press release, Frederic Bordry, CTO at Gauss, said that the CDR is addressing these challenges.

What's next?

Gauss Fusion will begin its next design phase after an independent panel reviews the CDR in January 2026. ($1 = 0.8597 euro) (Reporting and editing by Vera Eckert)

(source: Reuters)