Commissioner Castejón speaks at the panel on regulatory needs in a fusion facility design

Program addresses issues such as facility lifespan, safety, and cooperation

Commissioner Francisco Castejón from the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) participated in a session organized by “Fusion for Energy” on international regulatory frameworks for the development of fusion technology. Specifically, Castejón participated in the panel on "Fusion Design Safety Assessment" to address the needs of regulators in relation to the safety of the designs of this new technology. The Commissioner highlighted the importance of safety to carrying out these projects, and the value of exporting and adapting the operational experience acquired by regulators in fission models and other facilities.

Castejón also described the necessary trends in regulation that this type of technology will demand and gave as an example the DONES project, a reduced-size version of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF), which will be used to test materials for fusion reactors that will serve to test materials for fusion reactors, and which licensing related activities have already started at the Spanish regulatory authority.

The event was attended by representatives of other regulators such as the US NRC, international institutions such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), educational institutions such as King's College in the UK and George Washington University; and private organizations. During the different sessions, issues such as the operating life of the facilities, control of risks, safety, and cooperation between public-private institutions were addressed.

Fusion for Energy

Fusion for Energy (F4E) is the European Union organization responsible for Europe's contribution to the development of an experimental thermonuclear reactor project (ITER). One of its main tasks is to collaborate with industry, small and medium-sized enterprises and research entities to develop and offer a wide range of high-tech components, together with engineering, maintenance and assistance services for the ITER project. The organization supports fusion R&D initiatives through agreements with institutions and companies and is preparing for the construction of demonstration fusion reactors like the DEMOnstration power plant (DEMO). F4E was created as an independent legal entity by a decision of the Council of the European Union, and was established in April 2007 for a period of 35 years.

The design and installation of an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) will be the largest experimental facility in the world dedicated to fusion, and has been designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. ITER is expected to be able to generate a total thermal power of 500 MW for about seven minutes. Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. When light atomic nuclei fuse to form heavier ones, a large amount of energy is released. Fusion research is aimed at developing a safe, limitless and environmentally responsible energy source.

The European Commission will contribute to the project by covering almost half of the production costs, while the other six members of this international joint venture will cover the rest in equal parts. The ITER project headquarters are located in Cadarache, southern France. In addition to ITER, the DONES facility, also sponsored by F4E and the EU, will serve to gain experience in the licensing of fusion facilities.

 

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