The Road to Fusion Energy

The EUROfusion Roadmap

The EUROfusion roadmap forms the basis for the programme of EUROfusion and provides a clear and structured way forward to commercial energy from fusion.

Since 2012, when the first version of the Roadmap was published, the European fusion community has made significant advances in many areas. These include employing successfully tokamak walls made of metal, gaining a greatly advanced understanding of the material properties that will be required by ITER and DEMO, and completing the construction and operation of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator. Recent highlights are the world record fusion energy of 59 MJoule achieved in the JET tokamak by burning only 170 micrograms of the deuterium-tritium fuel, and the completion of the pre-conceptual design phase of DEMO, the first device aimed to produce fusion electricity.

Roadmap Phases

Short Term

  • Construction of ITER
  • Research & Development in support of ITER
  • Deuterium-tritium operation of JET
  • Concept Design phase of DEMO
  • Research & Development for DEMO
  • Construction of a fusion materials testing facility, IFMIF-DONES
  • Scientific and technological exploitation of the stellarator concept

Medium term

  • First scientific and technological exploitation of ITER
  • First exploitation of IFMIF-DONES
  • Engineering Design phase of DEMO with industrial involvement
  • Development of power plant materials and technologies
  • Possible further development of the stellarator concept

Long term

In the course of the roadmap implementation, the fusion programme will move from being laboratory-based and science-driven towards an industry- and technology-driven venture. The design, construction and operation of DEMO require full involvement of industry. This will ensure that after a successful DEMO operation industry can take on the responsibility for commercial fusion power. It not only emphasises the need to intensify collaboration with industry but also to seek all opportunities for collaboration outside Europe (Broader Approach).

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Roadmap long version

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Roadmap in brief

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Roadmap illustrated

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Roadmap hard-copies

For requesting hard-copies of the Roadmap, please fill in your details in the online form.