tech
OpenStar secures funding for Wellington fusion-energy facility
RNZ reports that Wellington-based OpenStar Technologies will use Government Regional Infrastructure Fund support to build a facility for its next-generation fusion device, Tahi.
How we reported this
Wellington-based OpenStar Technologies has secured Government support to build a new fusion-energy facility, according to RNZ’s Afternoons programme.
A facility for OpenStar’s next-generation device
The proposed facility is intended to house Tahi, which OpenStar describes as its next-generation fusion device. The project is part of the company’s work to develop fusion technology in Wellington and to explain how the technology could affect the way energy is generated and consumed.
Government infrastructure support
RNZ reports that OpenStar will receive funding from the Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund for the bespoke facility. That funding is identified in the source report as support for building the site rather than as a claim that the technology is already producing commercial power.
What fusion research aims to do
The programme explains that fusion research explores a different way of producing energy by bringing together the conditions needed for fusion reactions. The report focuses on what the facility will house and how OpenStar’s technology could fit into future energy systems.
Wellington technology project
OpenStar’s project places a specialist energy-technology development in Wellington. The company’s founder and chief executive, Ratu Mataira, spoke with RNZ’s Jesse about the facility, the Tahi device and the possible implications for energy generation and consumption.
The project remains a facility-development effort. The original RNZ report is the source for the funding announcement, the project description and the explanation of OpenStar’s stated aims.