The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, announced on 30 April the launch of the WISER project during the presentation of the new National Deep Tech Strategy Spain, an initiative involving 13 ministries aimed at transforming the country’s scientific potential into technological leadership.

The WISER project (Wind-tunnel for a Stellarator Reactor) foresees an investment of approximately €500 million and aims to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of the stellarator concept as a fusion reactor. This strategic initiative reinforces Spain’s position in the field of fusion energy and advanced technologies.

WISER includes the construction of an experimental stellarator and the development of key enabling technologies for future fusion reactors. The project builds on recent results obtained at the CIEMAT National Fusion Laboratory, including optimised stellarator configurations that achieve the confinement quality required for a reactor, as well as a rigorous formulation of geometric and dynamic similarity principles. These advances make it possible to define the parameters of a reduced-scale device capable of accurately predicting the behaviour of a full-scale reactor.

Thanks to these developments, WISER will be significantly smaller and more cost-effective than a conventional fusion reactor, while still enabling highly accurate performance predictions. This will reduce the financial, scientific and technological risks associated with the design and construction of future facilities.

Importantly, the convergence in Spain of WISER and IFMIF-DONES –two unique and complementary infrastructures designed to pave the way towards a fusion reactor- will place Spain in a leading global position in the development of nuclear fusion.

Text and photo: CIEMAT