On June 9, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its finalized Fusion Science and Technology (S&T) Roadmap, outlining a coordinated strategy to accelerate commercial fusion deployment, with the aim to “to enable the delivery of a U.S. fusion pilot power plant in the mid-2030s.”
On May 21, FIA submitted its response to the NRC’s request for comments regarding the proposed rulemaking and draft fusion guidance released in February. FIA thanks the Commissioners and Staff for their collaborative engagement throughout the process and looks forward to the forthcoming publication of the final rule. Risk-informed regulations, tailored to the nature of fusion technology and therefore separate from fission, are critical for enabling its safe and timely deployment.
On April 3, President Trump released the Presidential Budget Request (PBR) for Fiscal Year 2027. Within this, the request for the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program of $755.25 million is $50 million less than the $805.65 million appropriated for Fiscal Year 2026.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced a $135 million investment in fusion, marking the largest in its history, and more than it has invested in fusion over the past 12 years combined ($134M). The funding, to be deployed over multiple programs in the next 18 months, aims to accelerate commercially viable fusion power.
On March 23, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) submitted their letter and report “All Planned NRC Rulemaking Activities Related to Fusion Machines” to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. The report details all ongoing and planned projects by the NRC for fusion regulations.
On February 26, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published its proposed rule and draft guidance on the Regulatory Framework for Fusion Machines. The rule is now open for public comment, and will then be finalized and implemented in October. This is an important, nearly final, step in the process for solidifying clear and specific fusion regulations in the U.S. and FIA will submit comments.
At a roundtable with the Department of Energy, the private fusion industry urged officials to invest billions in order to compete with China.
Global electricity demand is surging, driven by artificial intelligence and data centers, advanced manufacturing, quantum computing, and cryptocurrency. Fusion offers the promise of virtually unlimited, secure, and affordable power that will transform the global economy for generations. It is the key to unlocking the energy leadership required to compete and win as a country. And with the private sector’s push to deliver electrons on the grid in the early 2030s, commercial fusion is no longer a question of “when.” It is a question of who does it first and where.
The FIA’s letter to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright provides an outline of fusion priorities for the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request. In order for the U.S. to win the fusion race, it must adequately resource government programs and partnerships dedicated to commercially-relevant R&D and the deployment of fusion power.
American Conservation Coalition President Chris Barnard discusses commercialization breakthroughs in fusion energy.
Magnetic confinement: Plasma is heated to 100 million °C or more, then squeezed and held in place by strong magnetic fields, allowing many fusion reactions to occur. (Example: tokamaks, stellarators)
Inertial confinement: Tiny fuel pellets are struck by powerful lasers. The outer layer explodes outward, compressing the core to fusion conditions for a few nanoseconds, producing a brief but intense pulse of energy from each pellet. (Example: National Ignition Facility)
Hybrid systems: Combine compression (e.g., from lasers, plasma pistons, or mechanical impact) with moderate magnetic fields to reduce energy losses and improve confinement.
Electrostatic fusion: Uses high electric potentials to accelerate ions toward a central reaction zone, causing them to collide at high energies and fuse. The ions are guided and confined by electric fields rather than magnets, creating a compact environment for fusion reactions.