Yokohama, Japan - JGC Holdings Corporation is pleased to announce that its domestic Engineering, Procurement and Construction (hereinafter "EPC") subsidiary, JGC Japan Corporation ("JGC"), has invested in Commonwealth Fusion Systems LLC ("CFS"), a U.S.-based company dedicated to the commercialization of fusion energy power generation.

CFS plans to collaborate with Japanese companies with an eye toward future global expansion. The investment by JGC is being made as part of a Japanese consortium*1 led by Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corporation, with JGC investing in CFS through its US subsidiary.

• ^*1The Japan Consortium comprises 12 companies: JGC Japan Corporation, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Corporation, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., JERA Co., Inc., Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., Development Bank of Japan Inc., Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Fujikura Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited, Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.
  

Fusion energy power generation is expected to serve as a next-generation energy source that simultaneously meets growing energy demand and contributes to a decarbonized society, as no carbon dioxide is emitted during the power generation process. However, fusion reactors remain in the research phase, and key challenges for commercialization include maintaining ultra-high temperature and pressure plasma conditions, ensuring stable fusion reactions, and the management of tritium for nuclear fusion.

CFS is the world's leading and largest private fusion company, utilizing the magnetic confinement system (tokamak type)*2. The company announced plans to build the world's first commercial fusion power plant, "ARC", in Virginia, U.S., with the aim of commencing operations in the early 2030's.

For the Japan Consortium, key will be to recognize technical and commercial expertise in policy, regulatory, as well as development, construction, operation, and maintenance of ARC from CFS's commercialization projects in the United States. Moreover, the Japan Consortium will leverage its collective know-how and expertise for the commercialization and industrialization of fusion energy power generation in Japan.

Collaboration between the Japanese Consortium and CFS is in line with the Japan-U.S. joint partnership to accelerate the development and commercialization of fusion energy power generation in Japan and the United States and represents a strong commitment and growing momentum toward early commercialization in both countries.

• ^*2

  A torus-shaped fusion energy device that uses a strong magnetic field to confine ultra-high temperature plasma
  
  

  
  

JGC plans to engage in discussions with CFS on the following contributions toward realization of ARC:

1. JGC has a track record of orders awarded to the company which includes the execution of plant-scale detritiation facilities as the sole EPC contractor in Japan for NIFS*3 and QST*4. Based on its EPC knowledge and experience, JGC will cooperate in the design and construction of the detritiation facilities.

• ^*3National Institute for Fusion Science
• ^*4 National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology
  
  

2. JGC will provide support for overall integration, EPC services, operation and maintenance (O&M), among others, to ensure that the fusion energy reactor and its related ancillary facilities function efficiently as a power plant. ARC scope will include the "blanket" (nuclear fusion heat extraction facility), an important ancillary facility of the fusion energy reactor, with the heat exchange facilities connected to it being constructed for the first time in the world as part of a power plant. JGC involvement will include utilizing the technologies, technology integration capabilities and knowledge it has accumulated through many years of experience in process plants under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, as well as the design and construction of nuclear power plant low-level waste treatment plants.

Through its "JGC MIRAI Innovation Fund", the JGC Group has invested in Kyoto Fusioneering Co., Ltd., a startup with advanced technologies for fusion heating and heat extraction systems, and MiRESSO Inc. which possesses energy-efficient, low-cost purification technology for beryllium, a rare mineral used as fusion fuel. Furthermore, since the 1970s JGC has accumulated over 50 years of experience in EPC projects and technical development related to spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, as well as radioactive waste treatment and disposal facilities in Japan and the US.

As the global energy landscape shifts from fossil fuels to carbon-free sources such as hydrogen, ammonia, and renewables--and ultimately to fusion energy, often referred to as the "dream energy"--the JGC Group remains committed to actively contributing to the realization of next-generation energy solutions. Building on its technological capabilities and integration expertise cultivated across diverse energy and chemical sectors, JGC will continue to pursue both decarbonization of existing energy systems and the development of sustainable energy for the planet.

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