Fusion Industry Presses U.S. Energy Department for Billions to Accelerate Commercial Power

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Leaders of the fusion energy industry met with U.S. Department of Energy officials on Monday to press for multi‑billion‑dollar federal support to speed development of fusion power — the same process that powers the sun — and help U.S. firms stay competitive internationally.

The department in November created a new Office of Fusion as part of a broader reorganization that emphasized fossil fuels and nuclear power while scaling back some renewable energy offices. The meetings follow recent moves by the administration to rescind or reconsider funding that had been earmarked under the previous administration for hydrogen and other renewable energy projects.

Andrew Holland, chief executive officer of the Fusion Industry Association, said industry leaders urged DOE officials to redirect some of those funds to fusion programs. He called for sustained federal support "on the order of over a billion dollars per year in annual appropriations and a one‑time infrastructure investment" to accelerate commercialization.

"Now is the time for the U.S. to make a significant investment," Holland said. "If they ask for it, we are confident Congress would pass it."

Private companies and researchers at national laboratories have pursued two main approaches to fusion: magnetic confinement (using powerful magnetic fields to contain hot plasma) and inertial confinement (using intense lasers to compress fuel). In 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported a brief net energy gain in an inertial‑confinement experiment — an important milestone, though reliably producing more energy from fusion than is needed to trigger it remains a major technical hurdle.

Industry representatives also discussed the proposed "Genesis Mission," an integrated artificial‑intelligence platform intended to harness federal scientific datasets to train next‑generation technologies. Proponents say AI could help accelerate fusion research and bridge the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and commercial reactors.

"The Energy Department and the Genesis Mission can ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront, bridging the gap between research and commercialization," said Marvi Matos Rodriguez, senior vice president of technology at fusion company Zap Energy.

Executives emphasized that prompt, predictable federal investment is needed to maintain U.S. leadership as private fusion startups and state‑backed programs abroad — particularly in China — race to develop scalable, electricity‑producing fusion systems.

(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)