Energy security

Nuclear fusion breakthrough opens door to clean, cheap and safe energy

The long-held dream of producing power from nuclear fusion, the ultimate energy source, may be realised sooner than expected following a breakthrough experiment in Germany.

The nuclear-fusion experiment succeeded in producing for the first time a super-heated gas that scientists say paves the way to clean, cheap and safe energy.

The plume of charged particles – helium plasma – lasted for one-tenth of a second and was about one million degrees. But this was enough, experts say, to demonstrate that power derived from nuclear fusion could become reality sooner than expected.