The German start-up Marvel Fusion, which specializes in laser-based inertial nuclear fusion, is currently seeking funding in France to carry out its revolutionary project. The company wants to raise 350 million euros to finance an experimental reactor in order to obtain scientific and technical validation for its research. Nicolas Burkardt, the start-up’s financial director, stresses that this search for funding in France could be an ambitious Franco-German project in a context where “we all need more electricity”.
A research partnership with Thales and links with American universities
Marvel Fusion has already entered into a research partnership with the French group Thales, which is one of the only manufacturers in the world able to supply high-power lasers adapted to its needs. The joint research is carried out in the Thales Nuclear Physics Laser Center in Romania. The start-up also has links with LMU Munich, Stanford and MIT in the United States.
German government provides financial support
The German government announced last Thursday that it would provide “up to 90 million euros” to support this project over the next five years, via the Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovations (SPRIND).
Inertial nuclear fusion by laser: a revolutionary technology
Laser inertial nuclear fusion is a competing technology to that of so-called magnetic confinement fusion, using plasma and magnets of the same type as the international experimental reactor Iter based in southeastern France. The futuristic solution of nuclear fusion is praised by its promoters, allowing them to obtain gigantic quantities of energy while avoiding the shortcomings of current power plants: long-lived highly radioactive waste and the risk of major accidents.
An ambitious project
Marvel Fusion differs from the majority of companies working on magnetic confinement nuclear fusion by focusing on laser inertial nuclear fusion technology, which its promoters believe is more efficient. This German start-up hopes to “produce electricity at 50 euros per megawatt-hour”.
With a growing demand for energy, this ambitious project could offer an interesting alternative to traditional energy sources.
