AP: Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain

[OKIsItJustMe]

Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain

BY FRANK JORDANS
Published 9:03 AM EDT, June 22, 2023

BERLIN (AP) — The German government announced draft plans Thursday to boost domestic research into development of nuclear fusion, a technology some hope will provide abundant clean energy in the future, but left open how those efforts will be funded.

Science Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger said that under the proposal, Germany will support all promising fusion technologies now being developed, including laser-based methods that achieved recent breakthroughs in the United States but aren’t widely researched in Europe.

Another method, using powerful magnets, has already received significant support from Germany at both its own Wendelstein 7-X research reactor in the northern town of Greifswald, and at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, or ITER, in southern France.

“We want to address both magnet and laser fusion,” Stark-Watzinger told reporters in Berlin, adding that the plan is to “substantially” increase the 149 million euros ($163 million) that Germany currently provides annually for such research. She declined to be more specific.

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[msongs]

1. gee let the nuke industry pay for it, they swimming in $$ nt