Construction of UNITY-2 under way

Fusion Fuel Cycles (FFC) was established as a joint venture between Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) and Japan's Kyoto Fusioneering (KF) to develop and deploy deuterium-tritium (D-T) fusion fuel cycle technologies. The first project under this initiative is UNITY-2, a groundbreaking integrated and flexible fuel cycle test facility. This facility will pioneer the full D-T fuel cycle from fuel discharge to purification and supply, demonstrating efficient tritium processing technology in relevant conditions and at relevant rates to enable a risk-reduced path to a fusion power plant on a decadal timeframe.

Construction crews have now mobilised to begin dismantling legacy equipment, clearing space for facility upgrades and the installation of UNITY-2 process systems.

Designed to support the practical realisation of fusion energy, UNITY-2 will enable continuous circulation of up to 30 grams of tritium in a 24-hour operational cycle, with the ability to expand to 100 grams under the existing building license. The facility will integrate and demonstrate all key fuel cycle technologies - from fuel injection and exhaust to impurity removal, isotope separation, and tritium storage - under prototypic fusion-relevant conditions.

"UNITY-2 represents a critical step toward realising fusion pilot plants and fusion-powered electricity demonstration facilities," Kyoto Fusioneering said. "As countries including the US, UK, Germany, and Japan accelerate efforts to construct such plants from the late 2020s into the early 2030s, the ability to safely and efficiently operate integrated tritium fuel cycle systems becomes indispensable. Without facilities like UNITY-2, the transition from experimental fusion reactors to electricity-producing systems would face insurmountable risks and delays.

"FFC, KF and CNL - together with their partners - are proactively addressing this global bottleneck, delivering essential infrastructure and system-level validation that will underpin the success of commercial fusion energy. UNITY-2 is not only a technology demonstration - it is an enabling platform that bridges today's R&D and tomorrow's fusion-powered energy systems."

Commissioning of the UNITY-2 is anticipated in late 2026 with hiring for the project expected to begin shortly after to support commissioning and eventual operational activities in late 2026 and early 2027, CNL said.

In August, Fusion Fuel Cycles reached an agreement with California-based General Atomics to finalise a USD20 million, ten-year strategic investment into the UNITY-2 project.