Infrastructure for research and development of ITER and DEMO fusion reactors

Infrastructure: Fusion reactors/EUROfusion
Project title: Infrastructure for research and development of ITER and DEMO fusion reactors
Main applicant: Pär Strand, Chalmers University of Technology
Fellow applicant: Göran Ericsson, Division of Applied Nuclear Physics
Grant amount: Around 26,7 MSEK for the period 2022-2026 whereof UU/ANP gets around 1,3 MSEK per year

The issue of safe, carbon-free, controllable energy for electricity and heat production is a key challenge for humankind. Nuclear fusion is one of the techniques that has the potential to provide base load electricity to the grid. The realization of future fusion power plants is such an exceptionally difficult challenge that the most comprehensive efforts in the field are coordinated through activities of several international organizations and facilities. On a global scale, the construction and operations of the ITER experimental facility in southern France is a key development. In Europe, fusion research is coordinated within the EU framework programmes (EURATOM) through a joint co-fund action grant “EUROfusion”, where Sweden is a participant.

The VR/RFI grant “2021-00182 Infrastructure for research and development of ITER and DEMO fusion reactors” provides support for the Swedish Research Unit for fusion energy (SRU) as a national node towards the EUROfusion consortium, supplemented with activities facilitating direct integration with the ITER International organisation (ITER IO) and the European procurement agency Fusion For Energy (F4E). The SRU coordinates the Swedish participation in and contributions to the international infrastructures and is a consortium formed by Swedish research groups from Uppsala University, Chalmers, KTH, Lund University and RISE with VR as the ministry-appointed administrative beneficiary towards the EUROfusion consortium. The SRU supports infrastructure activities building on recognized strengths of the Swedish research programme in several key areas important for the successful development and deployment of ITER and the next step, a demonstration fusion power plant (DEMO). The competences and the networks developed within this grant will be used to promote a stronger interaction with relevant Swedish industry and research institutes in areas such as, materials research, diagnostics, real time plasma control, modelling and artificial intelligence.