SAN DIEGO--( BUSINESS WIRE)--General Atomics (GA) announced today that the company is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop design concepts for a facility dedicated to testing full-scale fusion power-plant “blankets,” a critical system that has never been tested at this scale.

> “California, and San Diego in particular, is quickly becoming an epicenter of the fusion economy. A Blanket Test Facility would represent the next stage in turning scientific discovery into sustainable power.” > > Share

> “California, and San Diego in particular, is quickly becoming an epicenter of the fusion economy.

A new Fusion Blanket Component Test Facility (BCTF) would enable scientists and engineers to evaluate integrated fusion blanket systems. These systems use specialized lithium-based materials—solid, liquid, or salt—that line the inside of a fusion vessel to capture energy and produce the tritium needed to sustain fusion reactions. Successful testing would address a major scientific and engineering challenge on the path to realizing the world’s first commercial fusion power plant.