US firm accelerates nuclear fusion material development with ORNL deal

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and Rutherford Energy Ventures (REV) have launched a public-private partnership to accelerate the development of critical materials and infrastructure for commercial nuclear fusion power. The collaboration will pilot a framework called FULCRA (Fusion Upscaled Leveraged Consortia for Rapid Acceleration) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). FULCRA aims to address a significant technology gap in the US fusion ecosystem, focusing on four key areas: developing radiation-hardened materials capable of withstanding extreme fusion reactor conditions, establishing reliable tritium fuel handling and breeding methods, designing integrated blanket systems to capture fusion energy and generate tritium, and creating integrated component test facilities to validate commercial designs and supply chains at industrial scale. FULCRA will implement a consortium model combining federal national laboratory assets with private sector investment, providing fusion developers access to advanced testing infrastructure that would be prohibitively expensive for individual organizations. Specialized testing capabilities, called “Fulcrums,” will target specific challenges in fusion materials