Germany seems to be in a panic over power cuts.

Some reports suggest that power cuts lasting two or three weeks are expected, that is most improbable in my view. Rota power cuts, with the rota in force for 2/3 weeks certainly possible, but the SAME customers being without power for weeks is unlikely.

Panic buying of food is well underway.

I was looking into this - and Merkel shut down all bar 6 of their nuclear reactors. What was more surprising was that Scholz shut down 3 more this January just gone.

I have no idea how many of those were end of life but it seems unlikely all were. They have 3 left running right now. Even those are supposed to close end of this year.

Shutting down nuclear is ridicules we need all the energy we can lay our hands on. The alternative is to burn whatever hydrocarbons we can lay our hands on at an economic price and even coal is not out of the question.

I agree - but they've failed to invest in our nuclear programme for so long now...

Apparently fusion (tokamak design) is showing some hope now. Watch out for the ITER project in Spain (international effort). They expect to hit Q=10 (500MW out for 50MW in heating the plasma). Got that from York Uni's Open Day where there was a very interesting lecture by plasma physicist Professor Howard Wilson

 After that, there's potential to get major investment to move towards production.

I agree - but they've failed to invest in our nuclear programme for so long now...

Apparently fusion (tokamak design) is showing some hope now. Watch out for the ITER project in Spain (international effort). They expect to hit Q=10 (500MW out for 50MW in heating the plasma). Got that from York Uni's Open Day where there was a very interesting lecture by plasma physicist Professor Howard Wilson

 After that, there's potential to get major investment to move towards production.