Thales Launches Fusion Company GenF with 10-Year Road Map
High-powered laser company Thales has inaugurated a standalone company, GenF, that aims to develop an inertial confinement nuclear fusion-based energy source. The company, which officially launched in January, has signed a first contract worth several million euros to develop its fusion laser, according to Thales.
The company's formation stems from the TARANIS project, which Thales and partners CEA, the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), and École polytechnique submitted to the French government in response to a call for projects on innovative nuclear reactors. The project goal is to demonstrate the feasibility of designing a first inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor. The project was selected in February 2024, giving it access to a €18.5 million ($20.7 million) budget for its initial development phase.
GenF currently brings together around 10 scientists, engineers, and industrial experts and involves about 40 people from the collaborating entities. The company inaugurated its premises in Bordeaux, a region that already brings together many areas of expertise in nuclear fusion, including the Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications at the University of Bordeaux and the Centre d’Études Scientifiques et Techniques d’Aquitaine.
GenF will progress through three development phases. By 2027, GenF plans a first phase of modelling and simulation, calibrated through experiments on existing facilities such as the Laser Mégajoule (LMJ). From 2027 to 2035, a second phase will focus on the maturation of fusion technologies such as multiple laser synchronization, the production of cryogenic targets and the development of new materials for the reactor wall. From 2035, a third phase could lead to the scaling-up of the reactor, with the construction of a first prototype.
Thales has been active in nuclear fusion for over 25 years, serving as a lead contractor for subassemblies as part of the Laser Mégajoule program, a research initiative on inertial confinement fusion developed by the CEA. In addition, at its Vélizy and Thonon sites, Thales develops high-power electronic tubes for magnetic confinement fusion reactors, including for the international ITER demonstrator.
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