Harnessing the power of the stars on Earth through nuclear fusion has long been theoretically possible, but until now out of reach. Key scientific breakthroughs, billions of dollars in private and public investment, and rapid technological acceleration are bringing nuclear fusion closer to reality. In this article, our energy public affairs experts share their views on a non-scientific pathway to commercialize nuclear fusion.

The Big Deal

Should the three dozen private companies, host of government and university labs crack the fusion code and reach commercialization by the early 2030s, society would unlock virtually limitless, carbon-free energy with applications extending beyond power generation to industrial heat, medical uses, or other energy intensive processes.

• Private capital sees the opportunity, as more than USD5 billion has been invested through 2022, according to a report published by the Fusion Industry Association.^[1] Notable players including Sam Altman, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel and Marc Benioff have jumped in the fusion race alongside key companies like Eni, Chevron, Temasek, Equinor and Sumitomo.
  • For Microsoft, fusion’s moment could be “just around the corner,”^[2] as the technology giant reached an electricity purchase agreement with Helion Energy beginning in 2028.
• Public sector support is expanding beyond U.S. ITER-backing to including tens of millions of dollars available for public-private partnerships aimed at commercialization. President Biden’s budget request, too, includes more than USD1 billion for fusion research & development.

Is This Fusion’s Moment?

Fusion science achieved a breakthrough^[3] late last year when the National Ignition Facility (“NIF”), operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, reached net energy gain through the laser confinement approach. We’re also seeing breakthroughs in achieving necessary high heat conditions (100 million degrees Celsius) and superconductor materials in facility design.

• While the world races with outpouring support and investment in lower-carbon energy sources and technologies, including hydrogen, nuclear fission, and carbon capture, fusion scientific advancements are happening to realize its potential to be a dispatchable zero-carbon energy source to increase the flexibility and reliability of a decarbonized grid and economy.

Favorable Perceptions Today

Generally, the fusion sector enjoys positive media attention and bipartisan congressional interest, which could shift as the sector moves from lab to reality. An increasing number of critics are skeptical of aggressive commercialization goals, radioactivity claims, and materials inputs, to name a few.

Reality Check

Perceptions toward fusion are relatively unknown and without in-depth quantitative and qualitative baselines, understanding voter and investor motivations and concerns is still challenging. We’d expect these stakeholders to share in the excitement, but it won’t happen without a healthy dose of skepticism. 

• How to succinctly differentiate fusion from fission?
• How deep is the concern of the unknown?
• What education is necessary if a project was announced in their community?
• What’s keeping capital on the sidelines?

While NIF’s achievement was significant, Bloomberg^[4] was quick to highlight the “failed” five experiments that have followed.

Navigating the “Non-Scientific” Commercialization Pathway

Reaching commercialization is complex and we’ll leave that pathway to the engineers and physicists. But, alongside the scientific breakthroughs still necessary, it’s not too early to start navigating public affairs considerations to ensure fusion can materialize in time to be part of the decarbonization plans: