US declares $46 mn funding for nuclear fusion firms in major step towards clean energy

The US Department of Energy declared a generous package of $46 million in funding to eight nuclear fusion companies, a sector that the Biden administration aims to delve deeper into. The funding, which is part of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, will strengthen Washington's role in fusion commercialization and help meet the President's goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

Fusion reactions power the Sun and other stars. Still, in its initial stages, nuclear fusion has an undiscovered potential to be a safe, abundant and non-carbon-emitting energy source for Earth. “We have generated energy by drawing power from the Sun above us. Fusion offers the potential to create the power of the Sun right here on Earth,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, according to a press release by the department.

US Senator lauds the clean energy move

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to partnering with innovative researchers and companies across the country to take fusion energy past the lab and toward the grid," she added. According to US Senator Patty Murray, fusion is a "promising technology" that can play an essential role and solve the immediate need for a carbon-free and trustworthy source of energy.

"It’s exciting to see Washington state once again playing a leading role in the development of clean energy technologies and innovative solutions to help us tackle the climate crisis, and this award will help propel Zap Energy’s fusion research in Everett and Mukilteo," she added. 

The funding is a step towards achieving the goals that the government set last March at the White House Summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy. The goals include President Joe Biden's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to channel 40% of the total benefits of specific climate and energy investments to vulnerable communities.