First Light Fusion, a British fusion energy startup, has entered into a technical partnership with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), a nuclear science and technology company. The partnership aims to develop the preliminary design of a system capable of extracting tritium from the First Light reactor, as well as tritium processing and storage solutions.

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen and is required for fusion reactions universally across all fusion technologies. However, it exists naturally only in trace amounts in the upper atmosphere. Furthermore, while nuclear reactors also produce tiny amounts, it is not “harvested”.

First Light’s proposed 60 MW pilot plant is expected to cost ~USD 570 million and will produce two kilograms of excess tritium a year. The plant will minimize the barriers to a first-of-a-kind commercial power plant, reduce overall costs and engineering risk, and also accelerate the development of a secure supply of tritium by enabling a revenue-generating pilot plant.

Analyst QuickTake: In July 2022, First Light also partnered with IDOM , a Spanish engineering provider, to develop a fusion reactor chamber. The two companies are collaborating on the design work of the fusion reactor chamber which is to be deployed at First Light’s pilot fusion energy power plant.