Congress Increases U.S. Funding for Fusion Energy Sciences Research
In the 2024 Appropriations bill, signed into law March 7, the U.S. government would increase funding for fusion energy research to $790 million for the Department of Energy’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. Dating back to 2018, the Department of Energy’s fusion research program has increased steadily every year. This funding also includes a significant growth in funding for the milestone-based public private partnership, allocating $40 million more to the program which had received $25 million in each of the last two budgets. This milestone-based public private partnership will invest in eight companies that are working to deliver fusion pilot plants.
Inertial Confinement Fusion research, which supports laser inertial fusion research at the National Ignition Facility and elsewhere, received $690 million in a separate budget allocation, through the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Congress provides $690 million for Inertial Confinement Fusion, a $60 million increase over 2023.
Put together, the $1.48 billion funding for fusion will be a record amount from the U.S. government. In the difficult budget environment of a divided Congress, the FIA congratulates Representatives Fleischmann and Kaptur, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the HouseEnergy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee, and Senators Murray and Collins for increasing support to fusion. The FIA also thanks the Fusion Caucus and the members who pushed for funding to be pushed far higher than what was achieved.
Research Funding Should Increase and Focus on Commercialization
Unfortunately, this funding is not enough – and is not prioritized sufficiently towards commercialization – to capitalize on the scientific breakthroughs happening in fusion around the world. Congress, the Department of Energy, and the U.S. fusion community agree that the best way for the U.S. to take lead on fusion energy is to significantly increase funding for fusion research and development, as outlined in the President’s FY24 Budget Request and the bipartisan Fusion Energy authorizations in the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The FIA supports full funding in line with these requests and signed a letter along with 75 institutions in the fusion community asking for funding. 72 Representatives and 15 Senators also signed letters requesting full funding for fusion.
If Congress continues to find that increasing fusion funding to the levels defined in the CHIPS and Science Act is not a priority, there is a plan. In 2020, the fusion community delivered a long range plan to the Department of Energy that identified ways to continue to make progress on fusion, even at the constant levels of effort that Congress continues to provide. This FESAC report specifically says that failing to increase funding “will cost the US its position as a global leader in fusion energy and plasma science and will compromise future developments with important societal implications.” Further on, it highlighted that under a level funding program that budget constraints means there must be strategic choices in funding. A budget aligned with the FESAC report should prioritize commercial facing efforts.
Congress requested the FESAC report to help it prioritize its spending. Since the report was delivered in 2021, Congress has not yet made significant changes or prioritization of current programs. The addition of the milestone-based public-private partnership is an important addition, but the rest of the FES program should be prioritized towards commercialization. In the coming years, Congress should follow through and fund the programs identified by the fusion community as priorities.
