SRNL to Lead Fuel Cycle Fusion Innovation Research Engine Collaborative
New Program from the Department of Energy Supports Acceleration of Fusion Energy Commercialization
AIKEN, S.C. (Jan. 16, 2025) — The U.S. Department of Energy announced Thursday $107 million in funding for six projects in the Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaboratives.
Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) will lead FC-FIRE – a collaborative team of national lab, university and industry partners created to develop the fuel cycle essential for fusion energy. The FC-FIRE Collaborative creates a broad team that will interactively research critical fuel cycle topics.
Members of the FC-FIRE Collaborative include:
- SRNL
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Idaho National Laboratory
- Sandia National Laboratory
- General Atomics
- University of South Carolina
- University of Rochester – Laboratory for Laser Energetics
- University of Tennessee – Knoxville
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Wisconsin – Madison
- Columbia University
- University of Massachusetts – Lowell
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Clemson University
FC-FIRE will also incorporate input from a variety of fusion stakeholders including:
- Tokamak Energy
- Xcimer Energy Corporation
- Commonwealth Fusion Systems
- Focused Energy
- Realta Fusion Inc.
- Type One Energy
- Thea Energy
- General Fusion
- Stellarex
- Kyoto Fusioneering
- EPRI
- Marathon Fusion
- Longview Fusion Energy Systems
- Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
- United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (STARFIRE Hub)
- The IFE-STAR Coordination Hub
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory IDREAM EFRC
- Idaho National Laboratory BNT FIRE Collaborative
- The MIT Proton Irradiation of Fusion Materials FIRE Collaborative
- The UTK Materials Development FIRE Collaborative
“SRNL is leading FC-FIRE efforts to advance the fusion fuel cycle through process modeling, process technology development and tritium material solutions development,” said Brenda Garcia-Diaz, SRNL’s Advisory Program Manager for Fusion Energy and FC-Fire Director. “The collaborative will also tackle cross-cutting issues such as byproduct material handling and fuel cycle workforce development. FC-FIRE combines SRNL’s expertise with that of the collaborative’s partners to tackle the most challenging technical problems in the development of fuel cycles for commercial fusion energy,” said Garcia-Diaz.
The FIRE Collaboratives are aimed at creating a fusion energy science and technology innovation ecosystem by forming virtual, centrally managed teams called “Collaboratives” that have a collective goal of bridging DOE’s Fusion Energy Sciences basic science research programs with the needs of the growing fusion industry.
“As the world races to make fusion a viable source of energy for industry and consumers, these programs signal that the U.S. intends to be the first to commercialize fusion energy through strong partnerships among our National Laboratories, universities, and the private sector to realize industry-led designs for fusion pilot plants,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk.
This initiative represents a significant step forward in FES’s commitment to advancing fusion energy research and development, and aims to create new economic opportunities, maintain US leadership in fusion, bolster US-based manufacturing and supply chains, and enable the development of technologies crucial for national security, energy security, and defense.
The list of projects and more information can be found on the Fusion Energy Sciences program homepage.
About Savannah River National Laboratory Savannah River National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy multi-program research and development center that’s managed and operated by Battelle Savannah River Alliance, LLC (BSRA) for the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. SRNL puts science to work to protect the nation by providing practical, cost-effective solutions to the nation’s environmental, nuclear security, nuclear materials management, and energy manufacturing challenges (www.srnl.gov).
Media contact: SRNL Media Relations