Vice-President of the European Commission Teresa Ribera visits F4E in Barcelona

The Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, visited the headquarters of Fusion for Energy (F4E) in Barcelona this Friday. The F4E Director, Marc Lachaise, and staff members presented the agency’s mission and contribution to harness fusion as a clean, safe and reliable energy source. The Spanish Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and University, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, and the Director General for Knowledge Exchange and Society of the Government of Catalonia, Javier Selva, also attended the meeting.

F4E’s Director presented the commercial benefits of fusion and the organisation’s long-term vision. Its mission focuses on delivering Europe’s contribution to ITER and other international fusion projects by developing competences and skills through a competitive European industry. In addition, F4E experts gave an overview of the technological advances and financial gains, resulting from F4E’s collaboration with more than 3000 companies and R&D organisations.

Fusion energy can strengthen Europe’s long-term autonomy and resilience by providing sustainable and abundant power supply. The commercial race to harness fusion has accelerated, with skyrocketing investment in countries like the US and China. The EU remains a leader in the scientific sphere and boasts the largest supply chain in the world involved in ITER.

“It was an honour to welcome Vice-President Ribera, Secretary of State Cigudosa and Director General Selva to Barcelona and reaffirm our determination to strengthen Europe’s leadership in fusion. F4E’s talented workforce is here to deliver on the strategic priorities of the European Commission by bringing this technology closer to its commercial phase and boosting our continent’s competitiveness,” said F4E Director Marc Lachaise.