Fusion 101

1. Extreme temperature: The fuel must be heated at extremely high temperatures, exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius, hotter than the center of the sun, to give the nuclei enough energy to overcome their natural electromagnetic repulsion, becoming a plasma where electrons are stripped away from their atoms.
2. Sufficient density: The fuel particles must be close enough together to increase the probability of collisions; the more collisions, the more energy produced.
3. Adequate confinement time: The hot fuel must be contained long enough to create fusion reactions and useful energy.

• Decarbonization: Fueled by hydrogen and helium, fusion generates zero greenhouse gas emissions from its energy production.
• No long-lived radioactive material: Fusion reactions do not produce the high-level radioactive material that traditional nuclear fission can generate. Tritium, the main byproduct of concern, produces radiation that a single piece of paper can stop, and is already used safely around the world today.
• Reliable energy: While commercial fusion plants will have an operational learning curve like any other technology, fusion promises to run 24/7, like fission, and provide clean and dependable power in large quantities.
• Low security risks: Because fusion reactors do not use uranium, they have more limited non-proliferation concerns.
• Abundant fuel sources: The most common forms of fusion fuel are deuterium and tritium, which are isotopes of hydrogen, one of the most abundant elements in the universe.
• Fundamentally safe: The fundamental physics of fusion on Earth makes it extremely safe – remember the wind and rain around a campfire.

AlTwo U.S.–based fusion companies, Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Helion, announced construction of fusion power plants, delivering power to the grid as early as the 2030s. This follows significant private investment in the U.S. totaling more than $6 billion, and continued support from the government to build projects. This is creating a path towards commercialization. Still, the U.S. needs to continue to take action to support the fusion industry to maintain its leadership position, including:

• Establishing an Office of Fusion Energy at the DOE.
• Include fusion energy components in the 45X manufacturing tax credit to ensure technology invented in America is made in America.
• Continue to fund public-private partnerships, including the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program.

The wider fusion community, both public and private, has seen concrete action in the last couple of years:

• As of 2025, the U.S. Fusion industry has raised over $6 billion in private investment. However, the industry will face increasing competition abroad: China is investing $1.5 billion per year, while countries like Germany and the U.K. are taking their own steps toward commercializing fusion power.
• In February 2025, the Special Competitive Studies Project, in collaboration with the Commission on the Scaling of Fusion Energy, released a preliminary report, outlining a strategy for fusion power, crucial for U.S. energy independence and technological leadership, recommending immediate, coordinated R&D, partnerships, and policy, with expert input.
• In 2018, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) was formed, representing over twenty fusion startups. Now, FIA has over 40 investor-backed companies as members and more than 100 affiliate members working to commercialize fusion energy.
• The Energy Act of 2020 authorized the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, a public-private partnership that helps de-risk projects and catalyze investment. Eight awardees were announced in 2023, and nearly $50 million was obligated to them.
• In July 2024, the ADVANCE Act was signed into law, codifying a different set of regulations for fusion energy from fission. Now, the NRC is developing that framework, which, according to NEIMA, must be created by 2027. In December 2024, the NRC released its Proposed Rule: Regulatory Framework for Fusion Machines. Currently, fusion energy is regulated under 10 CFR Part 30, a framework for byproduct material facilities.

The combined efforts of both the public and private sectors have driven the fusion industry to the point where commercial fusion is now firmly on the horizon.