Germany wants to accelerate nuclear fusion research, with new funding program set to help

Germany’s Ministry of Education and Research wants to accelerate nuclear fusion research through a new funding program. The basis will be a new ministry position paper, which will be discussed with experts in the field.

“The energy crisis has shown us how crucial clean, reliable and affordable energy supplies are. Fusion is a huge opportunity to solve all our energy problems,” said Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, who presented the position paper on nuclear fusion research.

Germany already has a leading position in nuclear fusion research and should make better use of this advantage by launching a new funding program, Stark-Watzinger said. The program aims to take fusion research to the next level so that a fusion power plant can become a reality as soon as possible.

The ministry said its position paper would form the basis for a strategic reorientation of national research into nuclear fusion and a pathway to the first power plant, by focusing on strengthening German companies so they can build nuclear fusion power plants and on creating a fusion ecosystem.

The position paper outlines areas for action and possible strategically focused measures in magnetic and laser fusion research, which are intended to serve as the basis for creating a funding program. The proposed measures can be divided into two areas. One involves the further development of technological approaches, while the other involves creating a nuclear fusion ecosystem that will support the training and continuing education of experts and facilitate cooperation between German and international stakeholders.

After the paper is published, a consultation process with German nuclear fusion experts is planned so their feedback can be taken into account in designing the future funding program.

“There are still major challenges on the path to generating energy through nuclear fusion, and they can only be overcome through close cooperation between policymakers, scientists and industry,” the position paper says.

FDP criticized for focusing too much on nuclear fusion

The coalition party Free Democratic Party (FDP) has repeatedly been criticized for its enthusiastic support for nuclear fusion, which aims to replicate the processes that occur in the Sun to generate electricity. Stark-Watzinger was widely mocked for saying late last year that a German fusion reactor could be connected to the grid “within ten years”—a timeline that even enthusiastic proponents of the technology consider unrealistic.

Critics point out that the FDP’s insistence on nuclear fusion is wishful thinking that distracts from the immediate steps needed to tackle climate change—much like the controversial support for using synthetic fuels in cars and hydrogen boilers for heating.