US to unveil global partnership strategy for fusion power generation at COP28

In a statement on November 20, US President's Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry said the US will present more details on the international strategy for producing this energy source, including partnerships between the US and other countries. Special Envoy Kerry said the US will announce the above strategy at the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28). This conference will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), from November 30 to December 12.

In August, US scientists working at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California captured energy from a fusion reaction using laser technology. This is considered a breakthrough in the effort to create clean energy sources for the future. Mr. Kerry also supported funding to support the research project on creating fusion energy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA).

Nuclear fusion is a process that uses lasers or powerful magnets to fuse two light atoms into a heavier one. This process releases energy on a large scale, without emitting carbon.

Fusion has the advantage over nuclear power plants that use fission technology because it does not produce radioactive waste that persists in nature for a long time. If successfully deployed, electricity obtained from fusion reactions can provide a “clean”, carbon-free, and cheap source of electricity.

On November 8, the US and the UK signed a cooperation agreement on the production of fusion energy. The US is expected to promote cooperation with many other countries to speed up the commercialization of this energy.

Scientists are calling on countries to urgently implement policies to switch from fossil fuels to green energy to minimize the impact of climate change. However, investment in the production of this type of energy has decreased this year due to inflation and economic instability. According to the Fusion Industry Association, so far this year, companies producing fusion energy have received private investments worth about $1.4 billion. Meanwhile, compared to the same period last year, this figure was $2.83 billion. However, the number of companies receiving investment increased to 43, from 33, spread across more than 10 countries including Germany, Australia, Japan and the UK.

Meanwhile, some opinions are concerned about the difficulties and barriers to the production of fusion power, as well as establishing agreements to buy and sell this type of energy. Specifically, some scientists believe that the possibility of successfully implementing fusion reactions is still not high. In addition, issues related to construction, choosing the location of fusion power plants as well as operating regulations are also barriers.

Besides, some opinions say that it will cost a lot of investment and take a lot of time to build fusion power plants in the future, especially when the fight against climate change is becoming increasingly urgent.