Britain, Canada sign deal to collaborate on fusion energy

Britain said it had signed an agreement with Canada on Wednesday to work more closely together on the development of fusion energy. If deployed successfully, it could also provide a cheap source of carbon-free electricity. Britain signed a cooperation deal with the United States in November to work on making fusion energy commercially viable.

Britain said it had signed an agreement with Canada on Wednesday to work more closely together on the development of fusion energy. It said the Memorandum of Understanding, signed at the International Energy Agency meeting in Paris, will enhance collaboration in areas including research and development, regulatory harmonisation, and improving skills in the workforce.

The two countries will cooperate to support the deployment of fusion worldwide. The agreement will also support Britain's 650 million pound fusion programme, Britain's Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said, "bringing us closer to making fusion a reality."

Fusion involves mixing two forms of hydrogen and heating them to extreme temperatures, causing them to combine and release energy. It could have an important advantage over today's nuclear fission plants that split atoms, as it does not produce long-lasting radioactive waste. If deployed successfully, it could also provide a cheap source of carbon-free electricity.

Britain signed a cooperation deal with the United States in November to work on making fusion energy commercially viable.