US-based Type One Energy’s “Infinity Two” stellarator fusion reactor power plant hit a significant milestone that no other has before. The firm announced that Infinity Two successfully completed a formal design review.
With a target of 350 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the grid, the Infinity Two nuclear fusion power plant is a step closer to that target becoming a reality.
A Major Milestone For Fusion Reactor
Type One Energy wants to connect 350 MW of electricity to the grid by the mid-2030s, which would be enough to power “thousands of homes.” The firm’s significant step has already generated a lot of interest.
“Several prominent energy utilities and industrial companies have expressed an interest in Infinity Two and participation in Type One Energy’s deployment of its first-generation fusion power plant technology,” the company explained in a press release.
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This is the first time something like the company’s groundbreaking stellarator fusion physics basis has been considered. The company said, “This technology has, uniquely within the fusion industry, demonstrated stable, continuous steady-state operation at large scale by the W7-X machine.”
Type One’s fusion reactor plant design aims for a two-year power plant operating cycle, separated by a 30-day planned maintenance outage.
“It is the first serious fusion power plant design that I’ve seen,” said Dr. George H “Hutch” Neilson from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a prominent member of the rigorous design review board. “The work they’ve done to date provides a sound foundation for continued design development of what could be the first system to produce net electricity from fusion.”
The successful review confirms that Infinity Two’s technology, architecture, performance, and reliability requirements align with the expectations for a first-of-a-kind commercial fusion power plant.
“The energy industry needs more reliable, clean, power generation technology that can meet the rapidly increasing demand for electricity and we are delivering a commercially compelling solution,” said Christofer Mowry, Chief Executive Officer for Type One Energy.
