The Centralia Coal Transition Energy Technology Board recently awarded a $1 million grant to Zap Energy.
The grant will cover the costs of assessing the feasibility of constructing a Zap fusion energy pilot plant at the site of the TransAlta Big Hanaford gas power plant. Zap Energy will be matching the funding provided by the grant, according to a news release.
“We are excited to support companies like Zap Energy as they continue on their journey to explore, innovate and lead us into this new era of energy generation,” Centralia Coal Transition Board Member Mickey Dreher stated in a news release. “The results of the feasibility assessment will not only help determine if the project has a local fit but will also provide some insight to determine if there is existing infrastructure and technology at the Big Hanaford site that might be used by a future safe and emission-free fusion pilot plant.”
Zap Energy, based in Seattle, will work with its own experts and partner with others to create conceptual engineering and architectural designs, perform required environmental and safety surveys and engage local, state and federal stakeholders to get feedback for the project, according to the release.
The assessment should be complete by August 2023.
"After decades of progress in fusion development, we're finally at a point where the path to commercialization is becoming a central focus of the industry. This project gives us the opportunity to design within a set of real world conditions, right here in our home state, and will provide valuable insight as we plan for our first power plant," Zap Energy Vice President of Product Ryan Umstattd said in the release.
TransAlta currently still runs the Big Hanaford gas power plant. Its last coal-fired power unit is scheduled to shut down in December 2025. The $1 million grant is part of a total of $55 million TransAlta has invested state-wide through coal transition boards.
For more information about Zap Energy and fusion power plants visit https://www.zapenergyinc.com/news/retrofitting-for-fusion.
