en.Wedoany.com Reported - Two Japanese companies have announced a partnership to manufacture and commercialize FLiBe—a critical molten salt used in fusion reactors—aiming to accelerate the realization of commercial fusion power plants.
NGK Corporation, a Nagoya-based ceramic manufacturer, and Tokyo-based fusion technology company Kyoto Fusioneering (KF) signed an agreement on July 16. The two companies will collaborate to produce, purify, and test FLiBe—a molten salt made from lithium fluoride (LiF) and beryllium fluoride (BeF2). This molten salt can serve both as a coolant for nuclear reactors and as a solvent for convertible or fissile materials. They will also build the circulation systems required to use this molten salt in commercial fusion reactors.
The agreement aims to support the supply chain needed for commercial fusion power generation. "At Kyoto Fusioneering, we are committed to establishing the foundational technologies required to put fusion energy into practical use as early as possible," said Kiyoshi Seko, President and Chief Operating Officer of Kyoto Fusioneering.
FLiBe, first deployed in the 1960s at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee, is a specialized molten salt coolant and fuel solvent. It is highly regarded in advanced nuclear reactors for its high safety, large heat capacity, and ability to operate at low pressure. The salt can perform multiple critical functions simultaneously: in addition to transferring heat away from the reactor, it can breed tritium—a fuel essential for sustaining fusion reactions—making it highly suitable for future fusion reactors.
However, the commercialization of FLiBe faces certain technical limitations. Its composition includes beryllium, a relatively rare material that requires specialized safety measures, purification methods, and quality control throughout production and use.
To address this, the two companies are combining their respective expertise. NGK became Japan's first manufacturer to industrialize beryllium copper in 1958 and has since focused on beryllium processing, purification, analysis, and safe handling. Kyoto Fusioneering provides fusion engineering support, including plasma heating systems, thermal-hydraulic analysis, tritium breeding and recovery technologies, and overall reactor design.
As part of the agreement, KF will lead the engineering, procurement, and construction of a FLiBe production and purification facility, planned to be located within NGK's existing beryllium plant. NGK will be responsible for facility operations and safety management. The partners also aim to produce fusion-grade FLiBe to reduce corrosion and material activation during long-term reactor operation. The finished material will be evaluated through KF's FLiBe Research Japan Advanced (FREJA) loop, a test platform that verifies whether FLiBe meets the stringent quality and performance requirements for fusion applications.
Takeshi Otsu, Vice President and Head of Business Development at NGK, stated that the two companies will combine their strengths in beryllium handling and FLiBe technology to support the development of commercial fusion energy. The agreement also supports NGK's 2050 carbon neutrality strategy. "We will continue to advance technology development and promote the social application of FLiBe-related technologies, contributing to the realization of fusion energy," Otsu concluded in a press release.
