Scientists launch fusion energy plan

London: The power of the sun is to be recreated in a £1 billion (Dh6.51 billion) British project that could provide a clean and almost limitless source of energy.

Scientists this week begin work on a nuclear fusion reactor that will use the same powerful reaction that takes place in the sun to provide energy and, ultimately, electricity.

Until now, scientists have only been able to replicate the reaction inside hydrogen bombs. Now, they believe they are on the verge of achieving controlled fusion in a laboratory.

Laser beams with enough power to light up every home in Britain for a few microseconds will be used to heat up the nuclear fuel to millions of degrees Celsius in order to trigger the reaction. If successful, the reactor will be a prototype for future commercial power stations, providing a cleaner and safer replacement for conventional nuclear plants, which use nuclear fission to produce energy.

Unlike nuclear fission, which tears atoms apart to release energy and highly radioactive by-products, fusion involves squeezing together two "heavy" hydrogen atoms - deuterium and tritium - so that they fuse, producing harmless helium and vast amounts of energy.

Today, scientists at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, near Oxford, will launch the three-year process of planning and designing the High Powered Laser Research (HiPER) facility. Professor Mike Dunne, who is leading the pan-European team, said fusion could provide a safe source of energy for the future.

"HiPER is aiming to bridge the step between proving nuclear fusion is possible and a commercial power station. It should prove that a big enough laser can be built," he said.