"Lighting Homes with Fusion Power"... Government Begins Roadmap for Demonstration Reactor in the 2030s

Ministry of Science and ICT Begins Formulation of the 5th Fusion Energy Basic Plan... Accelerating 'AI+Fusion' Strategy
Advancing KSTAR and Early Design of Korean Demonstration Reactor... "Turning Laboratory Technology into Everyday Electricity"

France endured for 22 minutes, and China surpassed 1,000 seconds. Now, South Korea is also setting out to establish a national strategy aimed at entering the era of actual electricity generation using its own 'artificial sun.'

The government has officially begun work on the design of a Korea-type fusion demonstration reactor and the development of next-generation fusion technologies based on artificial intelligence (AI), with the goal of demonstrating fusion power generation in the 2030s.

On May 7, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it had launched the kickoff meeting for the "5th Basic Plan for Fusion Energy Development Promotion (2027–2031)" at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Seoul and has started formulating a mid- to long-term national strategy.

Reference photo to aid understanding of the article. The "Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR)" facility located at the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy in Daedeok Research Complex, Daejeon. The Asia Business Daily DB

The Basic Plan for Fusion Energy Development Promotion is a legally mandated plan, established every five years under the "Fusion Energy Development Promotion Act." This fifth plan focuses on accelerating the timeline for fusion power demonstration, in connection with the current administration's "K-Moonshot Project."

Recently, major countries such as the United States, China, and Japan have been accelerating competition to commercialize fusion energy by integrating AI, superconductivity, and advanced materials technologies into their fusion research, aiming for commercialization between the 2030s and 2040s. Investment in private startups and the race for demonstration projects are also rapidly expanding.

South Korea, for its part, has accumulated technological capabilities, with the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) setting a world record by maintaining a 100 million-degree plasma for 48 seconds, and domestic companies achieving a cumulative overseas contract value of 1 trillion won through participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project.

However, the government believes that as global competition has recently become much more intense, it is now necessary to shift the national fusion strategy from the research stage to the phases of demonstration and industrialization.

This basic plan will involve 56 experts from industry, academia, and research institutes. The planning committee is divided into three subcommittees: ▲ accelerating demonstration, ▲ innovating the industrial ecosystem, and ▲ advancing the foundation, with each discussing detailed strategies.

In the field of accelerating demonstration, the government will pursue the early design of an innovative Korea-type fusion demonstration reactor, advancement of KSTAR 2.0, and the establishment of an AI-based virtual fusion reactor. The government is also reviewing a next-generation fusion operation system that uses AI to predict plasma operating conditions and abnormal situations in advance.

In the area of ecosystem innovation, the focus is on expanding fusion from a research-centered domain to an industrial ecosystem. Technologies secured through the ITER project will be made accessible to domestic companies and research institutions. The public-private consultative body known as the "Fusion Innovation Alliance" will lead efforts to foster collaboration among related companies and build demonstration infrastructure.

For foundation advancement, the plan addresses the training of fusion specialists, international cooperation, and refinement of regulatory systems. In particular, the government is considering the establishment of a "fusion-specialized regulatory framework" that would be distinct from existing nuclear regulations.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to finalize the fifth basic plan in the second half of this year, following a public hearing and deliberation by the National Fusion Committee.

Kim Seongsu, policy chief for research and development at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Fusion energy is a strategic technology that major countries are prioritizing to address the surging demand for energy. We will lay the groundwork to connect the laboratory research results accumulated over the past 20 years to real-life electricity generation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.