UK-based Tokamak Energy has agreed an international strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) during the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh. The partnership aims to advance and develop national capabilities in fusion energy technologies, including high temperature superconductors (HTS), through a series of future projects. The agreement was signed by Tokamak Energy CEO Warrick Matthews and KACST President Dr Munir Eldesouki.
The partners have committed to explore how they can work together in the following areas:
- Knowledge exchange via joint educational and training programmes to build national competencies in the fields of plasma physics, fusion engineering, and related technologies;
- Joint research and development, including conceptual design, to enable the construction and operation of future fusion energy infrastructure;
- Exploration and application of advanced technologies, with a focus on HTS for various research and industrial applications, including power distribution;
- Enhancing scientific dialogue and strategic partnerships to build a fusion energy ecosystem in Saudi Arabia.
Warrick said: “Our agreement with KACST increases our global presence and provides an exciting framework to work together on the development and application of ground-breaking fusion and HTS technologies in Saudi Arabia,” said Matthews.
KACST, established in 1977, is responsible for the promotion of science and technology in Saudi Arabia. It conducts research across energy, aerospace, communications, biotechnology, nanotechnology and sustainable technologies, and manages technology parks, incubators and key national programmes.
Tokamak Energy – spun-out from the UK Atomic Energy Authority in 2009 – is headquartered in Oxford, with subsidiaries in the US and Japan. The company has designed, built, and operates two of the world’s most advanced fusion devices: ST40, the highest field spherical tokamak, and Demo4, a HTS fusion magnet system.
