Mr Shan spoke of the importance of collaboration in fusion research: “It is important to deepen the collaboration between industry, universities and research institutes to ensure that fusion energy development remains innovative, coordinated and collaborative”
China’s Vice Premier Guoqing Zhang in his special address closed the Opening Session.
“Achieving this goal [of supporting fusion research, development and deployment] will require an inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach that brings together governments, regulators, academia, private industry, and civil society,” Mr Zhang said. “Equally vital is building public trust: engaging communities from the very beginning to ensure that fusion energy is developed transparently, deployed safely, and embraced responsibly.
“The WFEG established by the IAEA provides a platform for uniting these stakeholders and fostering a cohesive global fusion community,” he concluded.
The WFEG meeting then continued with national statements and a series of technical panel discussion and concluded with a meeting summary under the Statement on the second WFEG Ministerial Meeting Conclusions in Chengdu.
Throughout the day, a recurring theme was the central role of international collaboration across governments, industry, research and academia to ensure that fusion progresses efficiently and safely to provide a clean solution to growing global energy demands. The discussions reaffirmed the vital role of international organizations such as the IAEA and ITER in supporting fusion research, development and deployment.
“The WFEG is now consolidated as a unique global platform where all actors from governments and regulators to research institutions and private industry come together around concrete topics and implementation,” said Mr Grossi. “Through this inclusive and action-oriented group, we are ensuring that fusion moves decisively from aspiration to realization.”
The WFEG invited the IAEA to continue advancing activities under its auspices, in collaboration with its Member States and partners, to support progress across these areas. The IAEA will periodically convene WFEG gatherings to review achievements, maintain high-level engagement and promote further collaborative action to bring fusion from vision to reality.
The Group looks forward to convening again to take stock of progress and chart next steps. Read the full statement here.