San Diego, CA -- December 17, 2018 – General Atomics (GA) Energy Group Vice President Jeff Quintenz released the following statement regarding the final report from the National Academy of Sciences’ (NAS) Committee on a Strategic Plan for Burning Plasma Research.
“General Atomics strongly supports the conclusions of the NAS committee. We thank the committee members for their thorough review and thoughtful recommendations on the future of U.S. development of fusion energy,” Quintenz said. “We are particularly pleased with the committee’s endorsement of U.S. participation in the ITER project and its recommended strategy to pivot the U.S. program toward a fusion energy goal in the intermediate term.”
“The challenge of fusion energy is significant, but we cannot afford to walk away from this critical and nearly limitless source of clean energy,” said Mickey Wade, deputy director of the Magnetic Fusion Energy Division at GA. “As the NAS report correctly points out, our understanding of the physics of creating a burning plasma has advanced dramatically over the past several decades. This increased confidence, along with rapid advances in enabling technologies, has positioned us for a strong push to demonstrate the practical feasibility of fusion energy.”
GA is a world leader in magnetic fusion research and development with nearly 50 years of achievement in the field. The San Diego-based company operates the DIII-D National Fusion Facility on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. DIII-D is the largest magnetic fusion research facility in the U.S. and has been the site of many scientific breakthroughs in fusion energy. GA is a vital partner in ITER and is manufacturing major components and key diagnostics for the worldwide initiative, most notably the Central Solenoid, which will be the world's largest pulsed superconducting electromagnet and will stand at the heart of the ITER tokamak.
About General Atomics:
The Energy Group at General Atomics (GA) pioneers advanced technologies with world-changing potential. We have been at the cutting edge of energy innovation since the dawn of the atomic age – more than 60 years. GA’s scientists and engineers are advancing the frontier of scientific discovery across a comprehensive array of key energy technologies, and helping meet growing global demands through safe, sustainable, and economical solutions.
