Germany investing 1 billion in fusion

[Munchausen]

https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles ... -in-fusion

Germany will invest more than EUR1 billion (USD1.1 billion) in fusion research over the next five years, Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger announced.

With our new funding programme, we want to invest massively and in a technology-neutral way in fusion

Magnetic and laser fusion are equally promoted under the research programme.

[Giorgio]

Germany economy is going downhill.
They choose to close Nuclear production and depend completely from cheap Russia gas, and since the moment they lost this supply they also lost any competitive edge they had.
The last 12 month has seen a massive migration of companies involved in chemical manufacturing,and now the consequences are starting to move downward their supply chain.
Add to this the loss of export of fuel based cars toward China and Russia and the whole economy picture takes a deep dark shade.

I doubt we will see again a strong Germany for the coming decades, and this 1 billion investment is probably just some pork barrel money to satisfy some political faction and live in the illusion that they can get again cheap energy in the short time.

They played a stupid political game and now they will have to pay a hefty economic price.

[Skipjack]

I agree. Germany's view on fusion is incredibly conservative and uninspired. It is also incredibly late to the game. I doubt anything will come from it.
The country is pretty much doomed unless a miracle happens.

[Munchausen]

I agree that German energy policies has turned in a major tragedy for all of Europe. Had the 5-600 billion euros spent on the Energiewende instead been used on new nuclear power stations, Europe could simply have pulled the control rods and charged right through this crisis with a mighty nuclear fleet.

Prices and building times would have come down. The germans might have had 100 big 1400 MW power stations by now.

But I don´t count them out forever. German public opinion is in favour of nuclear power:

https://www.ans.org/news/article-4712/g ... ear-power/

A new survey by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) indicates that 71 percent of the German public supports the continued use of nuclear energy in the country, while 29 percent want it ended.

This will improve over time. There is a silent majority that should not be understimated. Many facing the bleak prospects of unemployment and weak economic development understand these basic relations between reliable, cheap energy and prosperity.

And will make the conclusion that the dangers of modern, well managed nuclear power are vastly smaller than those of beeing gradually turned into white trash.

This billion for fusion is a minor sum for the germans. Something useful will come out of it. Hopefully, there will soon be conclusive results showing robust net energy gain. Somewhere in the world.

Then the real fusion race starts.