Oxford Sigma was proud to attend the ITER Fusion Neutronics Meeting 2025 (7th – 10th April) at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia in Madrid. Here we presented our latest peer- reviewed paper, which analyses the tungsten supply chain for the fusion industry. Published in Fusion Engineering and Design, our study combines neutronic modelling with realistic supply chain analysis, highlighting the urgent need for increased domestic mining resources to meet the growing demand for tungsten and to ensure reliable operations by the 2050s.
The Fusion Neutronics Meeting 2025 brought together experts from the global neutronics community to share insights on the latest advancements and challenges in fusion. Key topics included plasma-facing materials, shielding technologies, and the pivotal role of neutronics simulations in optimising fusion reactor design. This event provided a valuable platform to raise awareness of tungsten supply challenges and explore how neutronics can support the sustainable scaling of fusion power.
Our attendance at the event was supported by Guardian Metal Resources, a leading tungsten and critical mineral exploration and development company focused on the U.S. market, particularly through their Nevada-based project, Pilot Mountain. Their expertise and support were invaluable in our analysis of the tungsten market. This collaboration underscores the importance of building strong partnerships between the fusion industry and critical supply chain sectors, which are essential for advancing sustainable fusion power.
We also involved Oxford Sigma’s 2024 Summer Placement students from the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Fusion Industry Programme (FIP) in generating this study, providing hands-on experience to upskill future nuclear engineers.
For more details on our findings and analysis, please refer to our published paper:
Day-San, G.C. Blackett, M. Dornhofer, A.K. Manduku, M.D. Anderton, L. Tanure, T.P. Davis, ‘Supply and demand of tungsten in a fleet of fusion power plants’, Fusion Engineering and Design, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2025.114881
“Presenting at the Fusion Neutronics Meeting was a great opportunity to showcase the valuable insights enabled by neutronics, combined with our investigation into the factors affecting the tungsten industry. Establishing a robust and well-developed tungsten supply chain will be critical to supporting the successful expansion of a future fleet of fusion power plants.”
– Gabriel Blackett, Graduate Engineer at Oxford Sigma.
About Oxford Sigma
Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.
Get in touch at [email protected]
About Guardian Metal Resources
Guardian Metal Resources plc is an AIM listed tungsten exploration and development Company that controls two co-flagship tungsten assets in mining friendly Nevada, which includes 100% ownership of Pilot Mountain which is believed to host the largest undeveloped tungsten resource in the United States of America.