Selling a dream? Fusion experts’ perspectives on the challenges of fusion deployment: Evidence from conference workshops

Stankiewicz, Piotr (author), Meskens, Gaston (author), Oltra, Christian (author), Čok, Vanja (author), Giacometti, Alessio (author), Bustreo, Chiara (author)

Nuclear fusion is increasingly positioned as a pillar of future low-carbon energy systems, yet its deployment depends heavily on how experts frame timelines, system roles, and governance. This exploratory qualitative study analyses how fusion insiders navigate the tension of "selling a dream", balancing aspirational visions with the risks of deferred delivery. Data were collected from expert workshops at three major conferences: SOFE 2023 (Oxford), FEC 2023 (London), and SOFT 2024 (Dublin). Through reflexive thematic analysis, five themes emerged: fusion’s role in energy systems, deployment timescales, energy justice, risk governance, and social licence. Results show that experts view fusion primarily as a complementary "flexible option" rather than a standalone solution. They emphasize milestone-based roadmaps over fixed dates and argue that credibility requires a "showstoppers-first" transparency regarding waste and regulation. The analysis synthesizes three expert stances (balanced hope, open caution, and realistic risk management) and offers practical recommendations for aligning communication and governance with industrial realities.

• Language: English
• Keywords: stakeholder engagement, reflexive thematic analysis, risk governance, transparency, social licence, energy trilemma
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 8 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 229, art. 115830
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-183039
• UDC: 005.52:620.9
• ISSN on article: 1873-7196
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fusengdes.2026.115830
• COBISS.SI-ID: 280178947
• Publication date in RUL: 02.06.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Fusion engineering and design
• Publisher: Elsevier
• COBISS.SI-ID: 23146245

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: vključevanje deležnikov, refleksivna tematska analiza, upravljanje tveganj, transparentnost, družbena licenca, energetska trilema

Projects

• Funder: EC - European Commission
• Project number: 101052200
• Name: Implementation of activities described in the Roadmap to Fusion during Horizon Europe through a joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion consortium
• Acronym: EUROfusion