U.S. Department of Energy– Fusion Energy

Photo by Damien Jemison, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory via Reuters

Fusion can potentially provide a safe, abundant, zero-carbon-emitting source of reliable primary energy. Once developed, first-generation fusion plants may likely use a combination of abundant deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen) and lithium as fuel.

Commercial fusion energy has the potential to revolutionize the energy industry, help to achieve energy abundance and security, and help meet growing clean energy needs of the U.S. and the world. Fusion may also potentially provide a combined source of thermal energy and power for hydrogen production, industrial heat, carbon capture, and desalination. At the same time, fusion has both technology gaps (e.g., materials and fuel supply) and potential risks that need to be managed, like the generation of activated waste in structural materials requiring short-term storage as well as potential proliferation pathways. DOE stands ready to deliver innovations that not only bring fusion to technical and commercial viability but also help manage these risks. 

DOE has been investing in fusion research for decades through the Office of Science (SC) Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program to establish the scientific foundations for a fusion energy source. These efforts include support of international collaborations like ITER, as well as the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Inertial Confinement Fusion program to advance its Stockpile Stewardship mission. More recently, ARPA-E has targeted areas of potentially transformative fusion R&D with a focus on enabling timely fusion commercialization. DOE is now committed to bridging fundamental fusion research with applied research and the needs of the growing U.S. fusion industry, in support of the U.S. Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy and as described in our Fusion Energy Strategy 2024 and the FES Building Bridges vision document. 

Recognizing this changing landscape and new opportunities for partnerships with the growing fusion private sector, in March 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the Department of Energy (DOE) co-hosted the first-ever White House Fusion Summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy. The Bold Decadal Vision represents a policy shift in U.S. fusion energy R&D to accelerate the viability of commercial fusion energy, while continuing to advance its scientific and technological foundations.

Resources: 

• Fusion Energy Strategy 2024
• FES Building Bridges Vision
• Factsheet: Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy 
• Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces More Than $180 Million to Advance Implementation of its Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy
• DOE Announces New Decadal Fusion Energy Strategy
• Readout of the White House Summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy 
• International Partnerships in a New Era of Fusion Energy Development 
• Joint Statement Between DOE and the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Concerning a Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Fusion 
• Joint Statement between DOE and the Japan Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology Concerning a Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Fusion Energy Demonstration and Commercialization 
• DOE National Laboratory Makes History by Achieving Fusion Ignition
• Fusion Energy Sciences Program