Jun 16, 2022

Startorus Fusion, a Chinese commercial fusion energy development enterprise, announced on Thursday that it has obtained hundreds of millions of yuan in angel investment from Shunwei Capital, Casstar, Kunlun Fund, Telescope Investment, MSA Capital, Sequoia Seed Fund, K2VC, and Unity Ventures, among others. The fresh funds will reportedly be used for controllable fusion energy development. Startorus Fusion was established in 2021, aimed at building the first business-used fusion reactor in China, also focusing on the commercial application of fusion energy and the R&D of related technologies. After obtaining this round of financing, it will build a spherical Tokamak fusion device in Shaanxi Province. The device is expected to be installed and commissioned within this year, to confine plasma and heat ions to 1.5 keV (about 17 million degrees Celsius). Tokamak fusion devices have become the most popular solution for controlled nuclear fusion since the 1970s, due to its excellent performance and low difficulty in construction and operation. At present, more than 100 Tokamaks have been built or are under construction globally, among which ITER, TFTR and DIII-D are well-known. Many experimental results based on Tokamak have proven the scientific feasibility of magnetic confinement nuclear fusion, and have also derived spherical Tokamak with better stability and higher economy. Controlled nuclear fusion has many advantages, such as unlimited raw material reserves, safety, zero carbon emissions, and so on. It has always been regarded as the ultimate solution for clean energy. Proponents of controlled fusion claim it will help human society significantly reduce or even completely get rid of its dependence on fossil fuels, which is an important way for human beings to achieve sustainable development.