Eni eyes Europe fusion plant by early 2040s, FT reports

Aug 23 (Reuters) - Italian energy group Eni said it aims to help bring a commercial fusion power plant to Europe by the early 2040s or sooner, adding that nuclear fusion could become its “next refinery”, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. 

• The plant would be developed by U.S.-based Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), in which Eni is an investor, Francesca Ferrazza, Eni's head of magnetic fusion initiatives, told the FT.

• "Competition is growing" in the fusion industry, Ferrazza said, as the technology and expectations have changed significantly over the past five to six years.

• Eni sees an opportunity in developing the fusion fuel cycle, including recovering, purifying and reusing tritium and deuterium from reactors, the FT reported.

• Eni did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

• Earlier this year, Eni formed a joint venture with the UK Atomic Energy Authority to offer specialist consultancy and operational services focused on fusion fuel cycles.

(Reporting by Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)