Why Europe must seize the supply chain advantage to harness fusion's momentum

If we want fusion to be more than just a line in a document, Europe must act now. If not, the economic and geopolitical dividends of decades of scientific leadership may slip away, writes Giampiero Lapenna.

Fusion energy stands at the precipice of transformative potential. Across Europe, momentum behind fusion is surging at an unprecedented pace. In his landmark report, former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi identified fusion as nothing less than revolutionary, a transformative technology poised to fundamentally reshape Europe’s energy landscape in the second half of the century.

Additionally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has declared fusion power "an ideal complement to renewables" in Europe's future energy mix; a bold endorsement that signals a profound shift in EU energy strategy. No longer relegated to the realm of scientific fantasy, fusion has emerged as a strategic imperative central to achieving the EU's 2050 decarbonisation ambitions, spanning both public and private sectors.

If we want fusion to be more than just a line in a document, Europe must act now. If not, the economic and geopolitical dividends of decades of scientific leadership may slip away.

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The global race is on

Make no mistake: the window is closing, and global competition is rapidly heating up. Across the world, the question is no longer whether fusion will become a viable energy source, but rather who will get there first.

China’s state-backed consortium is already vertically integrating across fusion-relevant industry giants. The nation is also constructing major infrastructure, producing ten times the number of fusion-specialised PhDs compared to the United States, and investing staggeringly more in fusion development than other countries.

South Korea’s K-STAR project (the “Korean Artificial Sun”) has achieved remarkable breakthroughs in plasma stability. Additionally, the United States is leveraging its private sector advantage, with projects like SPARC (a collaboration between MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems) and companies like Helion Energy and TAE Technologies developing compact, cost-efficient reactors using advanced superconductors.

The stakes are high. Fusion stands poised to transform the global energy landscape, with nations racing to claim the prize. Beyond clean energy, the first to successfully commercialise nuclear fusion will not only lead an industry, but ultimately reshape the geopolitical order, secure energy independence, global influence, and economic supremacy.

For Europe, this is a pivotal moment to act for commercial advantage. The success of fusion in Europe depends on its ability to protect and scale its specialised supply chain.

The bottlenecks we can’t ignore

Earlier this year, the European Fusion Association (EFA) established a dedicated Supply Chain Working Group to examine what challenges stand in the way, as European industry looks to the future. Several bottlenecks stand out as urgent – addressing the gaps requires coordinated investment, public-private collaboration, and a pan-European strategy to build a resilient, sovereign fusion supply chain.

First and foremost are tritium breeding blankets, essential for fuel self-sufficiency in power-producing reactors. These highly complex systems require advanced materials and precision engineering, yet no scalable manufacturing base currently exists in Europe. The current absence of scalable manufacturing capacity for such systems represents an urgent barrier to demonstrating plant readiness.

Beyond tritium systems, high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tapes and advanced alloys are fast becoming pinch points. HTS tapes are essential for compact, high-field magnets, but rely on narrow global supply chains and challenging production processes. Advanced alloys, meanwhile, must withstand neutron flux, extreme heat, and corrosive environments, yet few facilities in Europe can produce them on an industrial scale.

The largest risk? Supply chain fragility, especially as demand surges. As Sehila Gonzalez de Vincente, Global Fusion Director at the Clean Air Task Force, puts it: “Europe has the scientific expertise… but its full potential is being held back by overlapping governance structures, misaligned research priorities, and a lack of fusion-specific public-private partnerships.”

Without targeted investment, long-term procurement frameworks, and public-private coordination, these bottlenecks could ripple through the entire development timeline.

Europe’s fusion future: to be built at home

Europe has the scientific vision. It has the political support. What it needs now is delivery.

To underpin energy independence and long-term competitiveness, Europe should aim for sovereignty in critical fusion components, such as tritium breeding systems, high-temperature superconductors, and radiation-resistant materials. For non-core technologies like generic electronics, cryogenics, or certain raw materials, global sourcing and strategic partnerships are appropriate.

The priority is to be smart about where Europe must be self-reliant and where collaboration can strengthen resilience and efficiency. This balanced approach will allow Europe to scale fusion sustainably while remaining globally competitive.

Addressing these key gaps – and aided by a clear roadmap, which EFA’s Supply Chain Working Group is currently working to develop – by 2030, Europe will have built a resilient, strategically mapped, and globally competitive fusion supply chain. We need dedicated fusion supply chain initiatives, cross-border industrial partnerships, and investment in manufacturing capacity for components like tritium systems and HTS tapes.

We are not just aiming to build reactors. We are aiming to build a globally competitive and sovereign fusion ecosystem. And this must be built by our industrial base here in Europe, before others potentially move in.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Giampiero Lapenna is the director of fusion projects at Ansaldo Nucleare and the chair of the European Fusion Association's Supply Chain Working Group.