Commonwealth Fusion Systems in Devens has signed a supply agreement with Tokyo-based Fujikura Ltd to buy 10,000km (6,213.7 miles) of high-temperature superconducting tape for use in its planned fusion power plant.
The agreement is the largest of its kind for HTS tape so far, according to a Wednesday announcement from CFS. The 10,000 kilometers of tape would stretch just under one-quarter of the Earth’s circumference.
Fujikura is a large electrical-equipment manufacturer. The company is ramping up its manufacturing capabilities in order to deliver the HTS tape to CFS, with the goal of being a major player in supplying key materials for the emerging fusion energy space.
CFS will use the HTS tape in its planned commercial fusion power plant, with the company announcing in 2024 its plans to construct its first grid-scale plant in Virginia.
“This partnership with Fujikura demonstrates how we’re actively placing orders and getting ready to execute our ARC power plant once our SPARC fusion machine achieves Q>1,” Bob Mumgaard, CEO and co-founder of CFS, said in the announcement.
Q>1 means the fusion reaction produces more energy than is needed to heat the superhot plasma that fuels it, considered a key scientific milestone in the development of commercial fusion energy.
“We’re pleased to find partners like Fujikura that understand our manufacturing priorities, share our sense of urgency, and are willing to make the investments necessary to help us scale so that together we can meet future demand for this crucial energy source worldwide,” Mumgaard added.
HTS tape is a thin superconducting material used to build high-current cables for fusion magnets, according to a scientific review. It can operate in magnetic fields above the range of conventional superconductors when kept at cryogenic temperatures, meaning the tape can help fusion plants use stronger magnets to confine plasma.
Fusion energy works by harnessing the same process which powers the sun, capturing energy released when atoms like hydrogen fuse together without creating the same risks and waste associated with nuclear fission. CFS is among several firms around the world to make fusion energy commercially viable, potentially unlocking a powerful source of clean energy.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, and primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.
