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New Era for Tritium Trade
From Untapped Stocks to High Production Driven by Fusion Startups. For decades, the global tritium market has been a quiet, almost invisible niche. Civilian demand remained at a few hundred grams per year, supplied mainly by Canada’s heavy‑water reactors. Fusion startups are now poised to change this landscape entirely. The world is entering a period in which tritium demand will increase by two orders of magnitude. Decades‑old civilian stocks will be drawn down, and new production capacity will be required to support the emerging fusion industry. This post summarizes key findings and expands on themes previously discussed on the Tritium Matters Working Group (TMWG) homepage. Fusion startups: the new drivers…
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International Control Converges on Fusion Energy Startups
International control of fusion technologies is not as prominently spotlighted as that of fission reactor technologies—but that does not mean it is irrelevant. Compliance procedures for fusion reactors are generally more straightforward than for fission-based nuclear power plants. However, fusion ventures are entering new regulatory terrain, which introduces uncertainty. Meeting international obligations will need to be demonstrated in national licensing applications. Key Areas of Regulatory Attention 1) IAEA Nuclear Safeguards Fusion reactors do not fall under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear safeguards per se, as they do not use uranium or plutonium. Although lithium-6 and tritium are technically usable in nuclear weapons, they lie outside the scope of traditional…


