New Canaan Fusion Station
New Canaan Fusion Station (Arabic: محطة الاندماج للكنعان الجديدة maḥaṭṭat al-indimāj lil-kanʿān al-jadīdah) is the world's first and to date only operational fusion power station. Occupying a 1.55 km2 site Jisr el-Majami, Palestine, New Canaan Fusion Station was developed as a joint project of the Jordan Valley Institute of Technology (JVIT) and International University of Arab–Chinese Cooperation (IUACC), with funding provided by the Ministry of Energy of the Arab Union.
After nearly two decades of research and development followed by an additional decade of construction, New Canaan Fusion Station commenced full-scale operations in November 2020. With an annual output of approximately 35,400 MW (accounting for 21—22% of net total generated power in the Arab Union), the facility holds the world record for most powerful generating station. While not publicly known due to the Arab government's treatment of New Canaan's inner workings as highly sensitive information, several experts estimate its nameplate capacity to exceed current output by at least 200%; if true, this would mean New Canaan holds the world record for power output despite only operating at around half capacity.
New Canaan uses four ASTRA reactors, the first successfully commissioned fusion reactor, developed at JVIT circa 1999—2010. Taking advantage of its location at the edge of the Jordan River, several layers of underground and surface channels supply the power station with freshwater, large volumes of which constitute a necessary operational component for multiple systems—ie. the reactor assembly's hydraulic components; steam turbine generators; automated facility cleaning system; and backup reactor cooling system, which prevents dangerous overheating in the event of a failure of the primary and backup gas-cooling systems of one or more reactor cores. As an exploiter of fusion energy, the power station produces zero radioactive or toxic waste and minimal environmental pollution, the latter mostly consisting of (non-radioactive) wastewater requiring off-site sanitation.
New Canaan is the single largest employer in Arab al-Bawati, with approximately 4400 full-time personnel and an additional 1100 or so working for third-party subcontractors providing a variety of essential support to the power station's operations. Due to the classified status of the fusion technology employed by the facility, the site is strictly off-limits to the general public and highly secure, subject to actively monitored, uninterrupted video surveillance and guarded 24/7 by special military police units; additionally, a strict security clearance scheme insulates sensitive areas from all but the most trusted of personnel. New Canaan Fusion Station is owned by the Ministry of Energy and operated under contract by Neogen on behalf of the ministry.
