China reaffirms commitment to fusion energy as two IAEA events open

The 30th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference and Second Ministerial Meeting of the IAEA World Fusion Energy Group opened on Tuesday in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The two events have been jointly organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the China Atomic Energy Authority and the Sichuan provincial government, with a wide range of attendees including officials, project leaders, scientists and engineers.

Shan Zhongde, head of the China Atomic Energy Authority, delivered a keynote report at the opening ceremony on Tuesday morning. He stated that as an important development direction for clean energy in the future, fusion energy boasts numerous outstanding advantages.

He said that China attaches great importance to the development of fusion energy. The country has built a number of large-scale scientific facilities, and is actively advancing in-depth cooperation among industry players, researchers and the international nuclear energy community.

China will continue to promote the nuclear industry's high-quality development, and deepen its opening-up, innovation and cooperation efforts to advance the fusion energy development. The nation will work with the IAEA, the ITER Organization and other countries to continuously advance the sustainable development of global energy innovation, contribute Chinese wisdom, Chinese solutions and Chinese strength to building a clean, beautiful and sustainable world, and enable fusion energy to better benefit mankind, according to the official.

Launched by the IAEA in October 2023 as an international endeavor, the World Fusion Energy Group is tasked with strengthening international consensus, facilitating investment and funding, and accelerating the technology demonstration and commercial application of fusion energy.

The Second Ministerial Meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group had about 150 participants from 27 countries and six international organizations who discussed policies, progress and prospects in the development of fusion energy science, technology and industry.

After the daylong meeting, the Outlook for Fusion Energy 2025 report and the Chengdu Statement of the World Fusion Energy Group were released.

The 30th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference lasts for 5 days, and includes sessions such as keynote reports, thematic meetings and technology exhibitions. The event has attracted nearly 2,000 experts, scholars and industry representatives from 61 countries and international organizations around the world.

As a major result of the two events, the IAEA announced on Tuesday that it has designated the Southwest Institute of Physics, a China National Nuclear Corp subsidiary in Chengdu, as its first "Collaborating Center for Fusion Energy Research and Training".