Concept art of the UNITY-2 tritium fuel cycle test facility. (Image: Kyoto Fusioneering)
Canada’s Fusion Fuel Cycles Inc. (FFC), a joint venture between Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and Japan’s Kyoto Fusioneering, announced that it has officially entered the construction phase of its flagship project, the Unique Integrated Testing Facility (UNITY-2), at CNL’s Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario.
According to FCC, construction crews have begun dismantling legacy equipment at Chalk River, clearing space for facility upgrades and the installation of the integrated tritium fuel cycle test facility’s process systems. FCC said it intends to procure more than 60 percent of UNITY-2’s major components from Canadian suppliers, deepening the company’s engagement with the country’s supply chain.
UNITY-2 remains on schedule to begin commissioning in 2026, the company said.
Team growth: FFC also announced that it is expanding its team, having appointed Matt Cloutier as the company’s chief operating officer. Cloutier joins co-CEOs Ian Castillo and Yuhei Nozoe, along with Sam Suppiah and Christian Day, in leading the company through its next phase of growth.
FFC added that its in-house team now exceeds 20 professionals, supported by a broader network of over 80 personnel from parent companies CNL and Kyoto Fusioneering.
The fuel cycle: According to FCC, UNITY-2 is designed to de-risk key fusion technologies, serve as a research and development platform, train the next generation of fusion professionals, and provide fusion-like prototypic conditions essential to nearly all fusion energy concepts under development worldwide.
The facility will help researchers understand the complexities of the fuel cycle system by simulating the entire deuterium-tritium fuel sequence—from discharge to purification and resupply. The facility will also serve as a test platform for fusion industry members to demonstrate the performance of their components and technologies, helping advance the technology readiness level of these systems toward a commercial state.
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