DOE to Award $46 Million to 8 Commercial Fusion Developers

Biden Administration: Commercialization Possible Within A Decade

The U.S. Department of Energy is chasing the sun in a years-long quest to help technology companies replicate on earth a controlled version of the fusion that powers the sun. DOE late Wednesday announced ...milestone-based... grants totaling $46 million to eight companies working to commercialize fusion technology. | Shutterstock

Jun 2, 2023

After decades of funding research to harness the power of nuclear fusion, the agency has announced grants to help start-ups develop commercial fusion reactors.

After decades of funding research to one day harness the power of nuclear fusion, the Department of Energy this week announced grants to help startups develop commercial fusion reactors.

The agency on Wednesday announced $46 million in “milestone-based” grants to eight competing companies across seven states.

The winners were drawn from a much larger group that applied for the funding when DOE announced the grant program last fall. The grants will be delivered in increments over time as the companies achieve development milestones initially negotiated with DOE.

Noting that $5 billion of private capital is invested in predominantly U.S.-based fusion companies, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden administration believes commercialization can occur within a decade.

“And so we’ve launched this milestone-based fusion development program, where private companies are going to team up with our labs and with universities and others to work through the scientific and technological challenges with the goal of designing a fusion pilot plant within the next five to 10 years,” Granholm said.

Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said the question is not how to achieve that 2030 target but how to meet the administration’s 2050 goals of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions.

She said the partnerships DOE is developing with the grants will be crucial to commercializing fusion.

“I love a big, aggressive, barely feasible goal because it forces you then to figure out what does it actually take to get there. I’ve really been excited watching DOE ask that question about fusion. Having the scientific basis that tells us that we can do this is necessary, but it’s very, very far from sufficient,” Prabhakar said.

“There’s so much more work that has to be done to turn this into something that is a commercial capability that’s consistent, safe and reliable,” she added. The work deals with thermal, materials and radiation issues that much more advanced technology won’t remove the need for, she said.

The companies receiving grants are: