CAN FUSION DO BETTER THAN BOIL WATER FOR ELECTRICITY?
Lester M. Waganer The Boeing Company MC S106 7220 PO Box 516 St. Louis, MO 63166-0516 (314) 233-8617 ABSTRACT For several decades, the international fusion community has had a goal of using a high quality fusion plasma for central station electrical power generation. Continued progress has been made toward the ultimate goal of high quality fusion plasmas with good confinement, mainly in tokamak experimental reactors. However, the commitment to begin construction of an engineering test reactor has not been made. One of the underlying reasons for delaying this large commitment is the lack of favorable economic projections for a fusion-generated cost of electricity1. Even though the cost of fusion fuel is very inexpensive, the plant capital cost is very expensive, which significantly increases the cost of electricity. The only new electric generating plants currently being purchased in the U.S. are gas turbine units, because they are relatively inexpensive, can be brought on line quickly,
