Commercial Firms to Work With Energy Department National Labs on Fusion Power

The Department of Energy will supply $2.3 million in investments to 10 projects by industry scientists under a public-private initiative aimed at researching fusion power technologies. With funding provided as part of the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy program, commercial firms will work with Energy Department-sponsored national laboratories to advance scientific knowledge and come up with cheaper methods of achieving ignition.

INFUSE will support 10 projects led by researchers from General Atomics, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Type One Energy Group and four other companies. Each award is worth between $50,000 and $500,000 and has a period of one to two years, the Energy Department said.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved fusion ignition in December 2022 by producing more energy than what was used to create it. According to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, the scientific breakthrough opens up possibilities for fighting climate change through a supply of clean power and “maintaining a nuclear deterrent without nuclear testing.”

Earlier, Kronos Fusion Energy had urged the government to finance similar efforts in the private sector, citing collaboration between commercial and federal organizations to develop a coronavirus vaccine as proof of the potential benefits of such grants. The company issued a press release in August 2022 announcing its goal of commercializing its proprietary fusion generators by 2032.