China’s mega-laser facility hits new record — Nuclear Fusion breakthrough could flip the energy game

> In the rocky terrains of southwestern China the country is presently building a mega-laser facility to focus on nuclear fusion research. The scale of the facility is what’s simultaneously intriguing and frightening. **Located in Mianyang, its satellite photographs have revealed that it will be 50% bigger than the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California.**

> According to Decker Eveleth, an analyst at US-based research organization the CNA Corporation, the mega-laser facility’s design includes four high-tech laser bays. Lasers will be shot from these bays to a central tower, where a high-tech experimental chamber is located. All of these are essential in fusing hydrogen isotopes. The laser energy fuses the hydrogen, resulting in an energy burst from a process called laser ignition.

> The Mianyang facility has the potential for **dual-purpose capabilities.** Yes, it is more likely that the facility will merely focus on fusion research to enhance renewable energy solutions; however, one cannot rule out the likelihood of nuclear weaponry development. According to William Alberque, a nuclear policy analyst at the Henry L. Stimson Centre *“Any country with an NIF-type facility can and probably will be increasing their confidence and improving existing weapons designs.”*

Make no mistake, this facility is likely doing exactly what the US National Ignition Facility is doing: nuclear fusion bomb research in a lab environment to circumvent the nuclear test ban treaty. Fusion energy is an afterthought.

However that’s not to say the research won’t provide extremely useful data for energy research, if China decides to share it

Is this article from 2005 , 2014, 2021? Oh no? They still sound the same