Tractebel and First Light Fusion have just signed a framework agreement for the development of the Machine 4 project which is designed to demonstrate net energy gain through nuclear fusion.
      First Light is based at the U.K. Atomic Energy Agency’s (UKAEA) Culham campus, near Oxford. It was founded in 2011. First Light is working on projectile fusion which is a branch of inertial confinement fusion. Last December the National Ignition Facility in the USA became the first fusion research facility to demonstrate energy gain from fusion. It used a laser array to trigger fusion.
     First Light’s inertial confinement approach will attempt to create the extreme temperatures and pressures required for fusion by compressing a target using a hyper velocity projectile. The First Light plant design avoids the three biggest engineering challenges of fusion. These are preventing neutron flux damage, producing tritium and managing extreme heat flux.
     First Light utilizes a “liquid lithium wall” approach inside the reactor vessel where the fusion reaction will take place. The company says that this technique gives it an inherent advantage in tritium production. The fusion reaction is surrounded by liquid lithium which allows tritium self-sufficiency to be easily reached. This makes it possible to design the system for excel tritium production.
     The two companies said that the Machine 4 demonstrator “will house the largest pulsed power driver in the world, 75 meters in diameter”. Tractabel will “leverage its international expertise in fusion”. The company has worked on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in France.
     Nick Hawker is the CEO of First Light Fusion. He said, : “The design and development of Machine 4 … is well under way as we aim for completion well before the end of this decade. We are delighted to be working with Tractebel through this critical phase, leveraging their unrivalled expertise in major fusion infrastructure projects.”
     Denis Dumont is Tractabel’s chief global nuclear officer. He said, “With this contract, Tractebel re-affirms its commitment to support the UK nuclear industry, fission and fusion, and help meet the UK’s ambition to be net-zero by 2050 … thanks to our internationally recognized nuclear experience, we are able to provide innovative solutions to the most challenging projects. We look forward to developing our relationship with First Light Fusion.”
     First Light Fusion and the UKAEA signed an agreement in January of this year for the design and construction of the Machine 4 facility. Machine 4 is not intended to generate electricity. However, it will assist in the development of technology needed for future inertial confinement fusion energy power plants. First Light said that it will “have a stored electrical energy of c.100 mega joules with the capability of launching projectiles at 60kms per second. This speed on impact inside the target will accelerate to c.200kms per second as a result of First Light’s exclusive amplifier technology. The amplifier focuses the energy of the projectile into the fusion fuel, both boosting the pressure from impact to deliver to the fuel and shaping the waves to produce spherical implosions”. First Light’s current Machine 3 launches a projectile at c.20 kms per second.

     Marvel Fusion is a German laser fusion developer. They have joined with Colorado State University (CSU) to create a public-private partnership for the construction of a one hundred- and fifty-million-dollar high-power laser and fusion research facility on the CSU Foothils Campus.
     This project is scheduled for completion in 2026. It would feature at least three laser systems. Each of these would have a multi-petawatt peak power and an ultra-fast repetition rate of ten flashes per seconds. The site selected for the new laser facility is near CSU’s existing Advanced Beam Laboratory built in 2013 on the CSU Foothills Campus.
     Marvel said, “Such a combination of lasers will make the facility unique in the world, and it would be designed to accommodate expansion and additional lasers in the future.” The state-of-the-art facility will serve as a platform to advance the company’s laser-driven fusion approach.
     The partnership is pending finalization of the financial details by the CSU Board of Governors. It will establish Fort Collins as a nexus for laser fusion research. It will also deliver significant positive impacts to Colorado.
     Moritz von der Linden is the CEO of Marvel. He said, “This public-private partnership sets the global standard for laser-based fusion research, propelling the development of a safe, clean, and reliable energy source. It is an incredible step forward for Marvel Fusion and a testament to our success and vision. Working with the world-class team at CSU over the past two years has been invaluably productive. We are immensely grateful for the trust and support of CSU, the State of Colorado, and the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) ongoing support through the LaserNetUS program.”
     Amy Parsons is the CSU President. She said, “CSU is at the cutting edge of laser research, and this new partnership will cement the university as an international leader in an area of laser science that has the potential to deliver profound benefits to our planet for generations.The project also would drive meaningful, long-term economic and reputational benefits to Fort Collins and the state.”
     Marvel is also planning the construction of a prototype as the next step toward a commercial fusion power plant. The prototype will host hundreds of laser systems capable of achieving fusion ignition and proving the technology at scale.
     Marvel noted that ongoing scientific and technological initiatives in Europe will continue to play a vital role in its research and development. These initiatives include experiments at Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munick’s CALA laser and the ELI-NP laser in Romania.
     In Marvel’s approach, an ultrashort laser pulse initiates the fusion process by interacting with small fuel pellets in a target structure with high intensity. The rapid impact of laser energy triggers the fusion of the fuel’s nuclei before the target structure can disintegrate. In order to achieve sufficient scale for commercial operation, fuel pellets will need to be irradiated and ignited several times a second.
    An injector inserts a new pellet into the target chamber where it is hit by incoming laser pulses and releases energy during the fusion process. Supplementary systems convert the released energy into electricity. By adjusting the rate of pellet injections and synchronized laser pulses per second, Marvel’s fusion power can adjust the overall energy output to market demand.

     Taiwan currently has one nuclear power plant with two nuclear power reactors in operation. In 2015, they closed three reactors. Work had begun on a new nuclear plant called the Fourth National Nuclear Plant in 1999 but a series of construction problems and political opposition halted construction several times. One reactor was finished but sealed after safety inspections. The construction of a second reactor was stopped.
     Hou You-yi is the mayor of New Taipei City. He is currently running as the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate to be the president of Taiwan. Environmental groups challenged the candidacy of Hou yesterday because they said that the energy platform of his party contains no feasible plan to deal with spent nuclear fuel rods.
     Former vice premier Woody Duh accompanied Hou as he presented the national energy platform for the party which is running him for president. Hou said that Taiwan’s transition to renewable energy would necessitate reactivating two decommissioned nuclear power plants. He also said that the decision to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District would need to be reviewed. The key to reducing carbon emissions by Taiwan is to cut down on burning fossil fuels according to Hou.
    Hou said that if he were elected president, he would conduct maintenance and safety inspection of the two decommissioned nuclear power plants to see if it would be practical to extend their lifespan. He also said that he would get experts to assess the possibility of restarting work on the Gongliao plant. The two major goals of Hou’s green energy platform are a “low-carbon Taiwan” by 2035, a “zero-coal Taiwan” by 2040 and a “net zero Taiwan” by 2050.
     However, the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance and other environmental activist groups said that Hou and the KMT have never offered a solution for handling and disposing of spent nuclear fuel rods. It was claimed that Hou and the KMT are trying to deceive the public into believing that nuclear energy is a “miracle cure” that can solve the nation’s energy problems.
     Tsui Shu-hsin is the alliance secretary-general. She said, “As the KMT’s presidential candidate, Hou cannot evade these critical questions, including how to ensure nuclear plants operate safely, how to treat the spent fuel rods, where to store the nuclear waste and other pivotal issues. Their thinking is to reduce natural gas, replacing it with nuclear power to achieve green energy goals. In doing so, they are ignoring the long-standing problems, including Taiwan’s frequent earthquakes and operational safety issues, and there is no space for nuclear waste storage.”
     Tsui went on to say that if Taiwan’s decommissioned nuclear power plants were restarted, the rate of mechanical failures and breakdowns would be much higher than in the past. She added that it was possible that the old plants could not pass safety inspections.
     Hou also wants to review and restart the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, which would be a step backward. Tsui asked if “we are going to waste another 10 years on its construction, and throw another NT$50 billion [US$1.57 billion] down this bottom-less pit?”

     The Breakthrough Institute, Clean Air Task Force, ClearPath, Nuclear Innovation Alliance, and Third Way have joined together to issue a statement that says that delays in finalizing a regulatory rulemaking on risk-informed emergency preparedness has already caused significant regulatory uncertainty for developers.
     The proposed rulemaking is detailed in a document titled Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Small Modular Reactors and Other New Technologies. It would amend the U.S. regulations to add new emergency preparedness requirements for small modular reactors (SMRs) and other new technologies such as non-light-water reactor. It would also enable emergency plannings zones fore such reactors to be scalable to take into account their smaller size, lower power densities and lower probability of severe accidents.
     The proposed rule was published for public comment in May 2020. The comment period ended in September of that year. The final rule package was submitted to the NRC commissioners for approval in January of 2022.
      The five pro-nuclear groups say in a joint letter to the US regulator that “Commissioners are generally expected to vote on final rules in 60 days, but in this case the final rule publication date has been extended multiple times without explanation. Currently, the NRC rulemaking page says the final rule is scheduled for publication on 3 January, 2024. If this timeline holds, it would mean a duration of over 2 years since the final rule was submitted to the Commission for approval. This is in stark contrast to the NRC’s Efficiency principle of good regulation which states ‘Regulatory decisions should be made without undue delay’.” 
     The extensive delay is causing regulatory uncertainty for developers who are preparing licensing applications according to the group. Until a final decision is made, future applicants find themselves faced with the prospect of preparing two emergency preparedness. One plan would be based on the assumption that the rule will be in effect when they submit their applications. Another contingency plan would be drawn up in case the rule is not yet finished.
     This uncertainty has already resulted in applicants changing their emergency preparedness approach during the pre-application engagement process. Some delayed pre-application engagement until there is a greater certainty around what procedures will be available. It creates an extra burden for NRC staff, reduces the value of pre-application engagement for applicants and the NRC. The situation discourages future applicants. It is also contrary to the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act of 2019. This bill directed the NRC to develop and implement strategies for the increasing use of risk-informed and performance-based licensing processes within two years. The groups said, “The NRC is over two and a half years late on this statutory deadline.”
      “A decision on the final emergency preparedness rule would increase regulatory predictability, reduce the regulatory burden for the applicant and the staff, and align with Congressional direction. More efficient and effective licensing contributes to meeting national environmental and energy security objectives. The Commission should act expeditiously to approve the final rule and update the associated Regulatory Guide 4.7, in the public interest.”