This Week’s Fusion News: September 26, 2025
Things You Gotta Know
The Ultimate American Nightmare: China Is Winning the Fusion Energy Race China is rapidly advancing to dominate the nuclear fusion supply chain and technology development, launching what experts describe as a Manhattan Project-scale effort that threatens to eclipse decades of U.S. leadership in fusion research and commercialization. Beijing is outspending Washington significantly in fusion investment while Chinese companies and research institutions achieve technical milestones at unprecedented speed, including tokamak reactor operations exceeding 1,000 seconds and major facility completions. The geopolitical implications are profound, as the nation that first achieves commercial fusion power will likely control the most transformative energy technology of the century, with China's state-controlled system enabling coordinated investment and development strategies that Western democracies struggle to match.
Eni and Commonwealth Fusion Systems Sign $1 Billion+ Power Purchase Agreement Italian energy giant Eni has signed a power purchase agreement worth more than $1 billion to buy electricity from Commonwealth Fusion Systems' first commercial ARC fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia, expected to connect to the grid in the early 2030s. This marks the second major offtake agreement for CFS's 400 MW facility within three months, following the company's $863 million Series B2 funding round in which Eni increased its investment stake. The deal represents a significant commercial validation of fusion technology, with Eni serving as both strategic investor and customer since first backing CFS in 2018, positioning fusion energy as a viable industrial opportunity rather than just experimental technology.
Fusion Power Plants Don't Exist Yet, But They're Making Money Anyway Despite having no operational commercial fusion reactors, companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems are securing billion-dollar power purchase agreements from major customers, highlighting an unprecedented investment surge driven by the 2022 National Ignition Facility breakthrough that demonstrated net energy gain from fusion reactions. The funding momentum reflects a strategic bet by fossil fuel companies and tech giants seeking future clean energy supplies, with customers like Eni benefiting from potential cost advantages while supporting development capital for technologies that remain largely theoretical. Critics warn that this pre-commercial funding wave creates unrealistic expectations and policy risks, as government officials like Energy Secretary Chris Wright promote fusion as an imminent solution while cutting support for proven renewable technologies.
The Ultimate American Nightmare: China Is Winning the Fusion Energy Race China is rapidly advancing to dominate the nuclear fusion supply chain and technology development, launching what experts describe as a Manhattan Project-scale effort that threatens to eclipse decades of U.S. leadership in fusion research and commercialization. Beijing is outspending Washington significantly in fusion investment while Chinese companies and research institutions achieve technical milestones at unprecedented speed, including tokamak reactor operations exceeding 1,000 seconds and major facility completions. The geopolitical implications are profound, as the nation that first achieves commercial fusion power will likely control the most transformative energy technology of the century, with China's state-controlled system enabling coordinated investment and development strategies that Western democracies struggle to match.
350-MWe Nuclear Reactor to Turn Dead US Coal Mine Into Power Plant Tennessee Valley Authority has issued a Letter of Intent to Type One Energy for developing a 350-megawatt fusion power plant at the decommissioned Bull Run Fossil Plant site near Knoxville, targeting operational deployment by the mid-2030s using stellarator fusion technology. The Infinity Two project represents the first major U.S. utility commitment to stellarator design, which TVA notes is currently the only fusion technology demonstrating stable, steady-state operation with high efficiency, avoiding plasma confinement challenges faced by traditional tokamak reactors. The repurposing of existing fossil fuel infrastructure provides critical advantages including established grid connections and cooling water access, while TVA's manufacturing facilities in Alabama will develop specialized welding and fabrication techniques for the prototype that will scale to the commercial plant.
Pacific Fusion Announces Expansion to New Mexico with Research and Manufacturing Campus Pacific Fusion has selected Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the site for its first Research and Manufacturing Campus, where the company will build its Demonstration System designed to achieve net facility gain by 2030 while maintaining its California headquarters and three existing R&D facilities. The New Mexico campus will leverage the state's legacy in applied physics and proximity to Sandia National Laboratories, Pacific Fusion's research partner, to develop a system that delivers 100-fold higher facility gain at 10-fold lower cost than the National Ignition Facility. The expansion supports Pacific Fusion's timeline to deliver the first commercial fusion system in the United States by the mid-2030s, with the company having tripled its California workforce to over 110 employees while establishing a 135,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in San Leandro for pulser module production.
The Transformer Bottleneck
The U.S. grid faces a hidden bottleneck: aging transformers. With most units already at their expected lifespan, heavy reliance on imports, and lead times stretching up to 7 years, the system is under strain. Our new infographic explores the problem and highlights solid-state transformers as a possible solution.
Speaking of the Grid, What About Transformers?
The U.S. grid faces a hidden bottleneck: aging transformers. With most units already at their expected lifespan, heavy reliance on imports, and lead times stretching up to 7 years, the system is under strain. Our new infographic explores the problem and highlights solid-state transformers as a possible solution.