Responding to an invitation from Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), the Italian scientist who claims to have developed the world’s first nuclear cold fusion reactor arrived at the State House this morning to explore the prospects of developing the device and producing it in Massachusetts.Andrea Rossi, an engineer who has captured the attention of the scientific world with two successful tests of his “E-Cat” cold fusion reactor, met with government officials and representatives of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Massachusetts and Northeastern University.
“Mr. Rossi’s reactor, if successfully proven and developed, has the potential to change the way the world deals with energy,” said Tarr, “and I’m pleased that he’s willing to discuss basing its production in Massachusetts.”
Rossi’s E-Cat reactor, which has thus far been developed and tested in the Italian city of Bologna, is intended to produce large amounts of energy from a reaction between nickel and hydrogen. The reaction produces heat which then heats water to produce steam, from which electricity can be generated. Importantly, the process creates little to no radiation, a major problem for the nuclear fission process currently used to produce power in reactors around the world.
“The enormous potential of this technology demands that it be addressed by the best scientific minds in the world,” said Tarr. “Since Massachusetts is the home of some of the best colleges and universities in the world, it makes sense for that process to happen here.”
Tarr expressed his appreciation to those joining him in meetings with Rossi from MIT, Northeastern and UMass, saying “our institutions of higher learning have been tremendous in their response to this opportunity, and I look forward to working with them.”
