Trans-Atlantic cooperation on fusion energy has been strengthened
by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the
US Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(PPPL) and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).
The agreement builds on the Address of His Majesty
The King to the Joint Meeting of Congress in Washington D.C.,
which highlighted new partnerships between the UK and the United
States on fusion energy, ensuring that British and American
ingenuity continues to lead the world.
Framed within a broader US-UK partnership in trade and science
and following The King's Address, the MoU sets out a programme of
collaboration spanning a wide range of fusion disciplines to
support both nations' ambitions to deliver sustainable and
commercial fusion energy.
Under the agreement, PPPL and UKAEA will work together to expand
scientific, academic, and educational cooperation across fusion
science and technology. This includes reciprocal staff exchanges,
access to major research facilities, joint projects, exchange of
academic information, collaboration on ITER diagnostics, advanced
computing programs and wider information sharing over the coming
years.
Fulvio Militello, Executive Director of Plasma Science and Fusion
Operations at UKAEA, said:
UKAEA has decades of expertise operating world-leading fusion
facilities and solving complex fusion challenges. Our mission is
to leverage this expertise through international partnerships to
deliver sustainable fusion energy.
This agreement with PPPL confirms the positive working
relationship between the US and UK fusion communities. We look
forward to combining our expertise to help solve some of fusion's
toughest challenges.
Laura Berzak Hopkins, Associate Laboratory Director for Strategy
and Partnerships, Deputy Chief Research Officer at PPPL, said:
PPPL and UKAEA have each led groundbreaking, flagship fusion
experiments. This strategic partnership allows us to unite our
capabilities and deliver on our shared mission of bringing fusion
from the lab to the grid. It is through global partnerships like
this that PPPL amplifies its impact and pushes the boundaries of
fusion science.
The agreement will focus on advancing the physics and technology
basis for future fusion power plants.
