Fusion News

Adrian Carrillo, Master's Student at the University of Washington focusing on computational plasma physics, gives today's global Fusion News update. As usual, links to the stories discussed are below.

1. CFS places a major superconducting tape order for ARC

https://cfs.energy/news-and-media/commonwealth-fusion-systems-places-largest-single-/

2. ITER receives its final vacuum vessel sector

https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/europes-final-iter-vacuum-vessel-sector-delivered/

3. A bipartisan bill proposes ten billion dollars for fusion

https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3850

4. Daedal raises funding for fusion plasma diagnostics

https://www.daedalsystems.com/funding-announcement

Bonus:

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/30/governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-accelerate-californias-fusion-industry-announces-major-investment-for-quantum-research/

https://www.pppl.gov/news/2026/openstar-technologies-and-pppl-are-building-partnership-advance-fusion-energy

https://www.pppl.gov/news/2026/novel-path-fusion-ignition-heat-first-then-add-fuel

To kick off the People in Fusion series, Fusion Industry Association CEO Andrew Holland sits down with Dr. Tim Bestwick, outgoing CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).

They talk about the UK's long history of fusion leadership and its evolving role as industry moves toward deployment, lessons Tim gained from his career bringing tech to market in other early industries, and his vision for the "quest" to commercialization.

People in Fusion is a new podcast series from the Fusion Industry Association, featuring conversations with the people behind fusion energy's acceleration.

Carli Smith, Fusion Researcher at Kyoto Fusioneering, gives this week's global Fusion News update. Links to the stories are included below.

1. First Light Fusion achieves major fuel compression milestone

https://www.niauk.org/first-light-fusion-achieves-major-step-forward-for-flare/

2. Fusion leaders meet in London for the UK Fusion Forum and Global Policy Summit

https://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/fusion-leaders-convene-in-london-for-global-policy-summit-and-fia-uk-fusion-forum/

3. Compact fusion company nT-Tao gets a step closer to pushing core plasma temperature limits

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-gets-50-mw-pulse-upgrade?mc_cid=a9d6340062

4. Proxima Fusion plans Europe’s first high temperature superconducting tape factory

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/germany-plans-europes-first-hts-factory/

Bonus:

https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/opportunities-for-architects-in-fusion-energy/

https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/research/transatlantic-partnership-fusion/

Dr. Cyd Cowley, working at the intersection of fusion and AI at FIA affiliate member digiLab, gives this week’s global Fusion News update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. The $14 Billion Bet to Bring Fusion Out of the Lab

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-09-09/fusion-gets-14-billion-bet-energy-source-can-be-commercialized

2. Tokamak Energy completes 13.7T fusion magnet tests

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/tokamak-energy-completes-137t-fusion-magnet-tests

3. Helical selected for Japanese fusion demonstration project

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/helical-selected-for-japanese-fusion-demonstration-project

4. Tennessee issues licence for fusion plant

https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/tennessee-issues-licence-for-fusion-plant 

Bonus story:

FIA white paper guides Agreement States on fusion regulation:

https://www.ans.org/news/article-8374/fia-white-paper-guides-agreement-states-on-fusion-regulation/

Dave Thomas, editor of Fusion News and fusion filmmaker covering the industry for over a decade, gives this week’s global Fusion News update.  Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. Pacific Fusion’s next fusion machine could clear a key hurdle to commercial power

https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/25/pacific-fusion-next-fusion-machine-could-clear-key-hurdle-to-commercial-power/

2. Kyoto Fusioneering raises $162 million

https://kyotofusioneering.com/en/news/2026/08/24/4350

3. Marathon Fusion tackles one of fusion’s biggest fuel problems

https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/marathon-fusion-lithium-tritium

4. Inertia Enterprises cuts fusion fuel production from days to hours

https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/inertia-enterprises-finds-a-way-to-make-its-fusion-fuel-fast/

Bonus stories:

STEP passes 50 fusion patent applications

https://stepfusion.com/uk-fusion-energy-hits-major-ip-milestone/

Eni sees fusion as its “next refinery”

https://www.ft.com/content/e6a069b6-69f8-4a21-9873-3cc0736d27e2?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Jasmine Mund, mechanical design engineer with a key interest in the fusion industry, gives today’s global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. Kyoto Fusioneering to Relocate U.S. HQ to Tennessee and Deliver UNITY-3 with ORNL, a First-of-Its-Kind Facility to De-Risk Fusion Technology

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260811349799/en/Kyoto-Fusioneering-to-Relocate-U.S.-HQ-to-Tennessee-and-Deliver-UNITY-3-with-ORNL-a-First-of-Its-Kind-Facility-to-De-Risk-Fusion-Technology

2. Fusion energy developer TAE signs helium-3 future fuel supply option agreement

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fusion-energy-developer-tae-signs-helium-3-future-fuel-supply-option-agreement-2026-08-05/

3. MIT scientists’ new framework could make fusion power a commercial reality

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/mit-scientists-economic-framework-fusion-power-reality

4. Fusion fuel tech makes commercial leap

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/fusion-fuel-tech-makes-commercial-leap/

5. Latest MAST Upgrade experiments achieve milestones

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/latest-mast-upgrade-experiments-achieve-milestones

6. Fuse Touts ‘Highest’ Neutron Yield by Any Fusion Company

https://www.powermag.com/fuse-touts-highest-neutron-yield-by-any-fusion-company/

Bonus stories:

Fusion machines benefit from first-ever silver crystal tritium separation

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-reactors-get-first-silver-tritium

Fusion energy expert Prof Dennis Whyte appointed next UKAEA CEO

https://www.niauk.org/fusion-energy-expert-prof-dennis-whyte-appointed-next-ukaea-ceo/

Adrian Carrillo, Master's Student at the University of Washington focusing on computational plasma physics, gives today’s global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises $1 billion in equity funding

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-fusion-energy-company-commonwealth-raises-1-billion-equity-funding-2026-07-30/

2. Thea Energy lands a $20 million federal award to build its fusion magnet production line

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/27/thea-energy-lands-20m-federal-grant-to-build-its-magnets-for-fusion-reactors/

3. Europe delivers a new fuel source for JT-60SA

https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/jt60sa-fuel-source-centrifuge-accelerator-f4e-sener/

4. DOE announces the first Genesis Mission awards supporting AI-driven fusion research

https://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/doe-announces-first-genesis-mission-awards-supporting-ai-driven-fusion-research/

5. UKAEA supports fusion inclusion into postgraduate education

https://www.ukaea.org/news/supporting-fusion-inclusion-into-postgraduate-education/

Bonus stories:

ITER upper launcher design ready for manufacturing

https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/iter-upper-launcher-design-ready-for-manufacturing/

The Energy Gang: Is fusion power here at last?

https://www.woodmac.com/podcasts/energy-gang/can-fusion-finally-deliver/

Carli Smith, fusion researcher at Kyoto Fusioneering, gives today's global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. Fusion industry funding hits an annual record

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-fusion-energy-annual-investments-hit-record-nearly-45-billion-2026-07-13/

2. General fusion makes history in the stock market

https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/investors-send-general-fusion-soaring-in-debut-as-first-publicly-traded-fusion-company/

3.Quantum computers make headway in solving fusion’s fuel problem

https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-fusion-fuel-material-configurations.html

4. Inertia opens world’s first fusion factory to commercialize inertial confinement fusion

https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2026/07/13/inertia-fusion-facility-livermore

Bonus stories:

General Atomics Secures California Tax Credit for San Diego Fusion Blanket Test Facility

https://newatlas.com/energy/general-atomics-test-key-fusion-reactor-component/

Dr. Cyd Cowley, working at the intersection of fusion and AI at FIA affiliate member digiLab, gives today's global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. US fusion startup makes history by converting plasma energy directly into electricity

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/us-nuclear-fusion-makes-history

2. UKAEA and Eni launch RH3OVA to advance fusion industry

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukaea-and-eni-launch-rh3ova-to-advance-fusion-industry

3. General Fusion targets Italy

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/general-fusion-targets-italy/

Bonus stories:

2026 Fusion Industry Association supply chain report

https://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/fia-launches-2026-fusion-industry-supply-chain-report/

Adrian Carrillo, Master's Student at the University of Washington focusing on computational plasma physics, gives today’s global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. UK and Japan deepen fusion cooperation with new agreement

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-japan-fusion-partnership-strengthened-by-ukaea-and-qst

2. Helion clears key regulatory milestone for Orion power plant

https://www.helionenergy.com/newsroom/helion-clears-key-regulatory-milestone-on-the-path-to-building-and-operating-the-worlds-first-fusion-power-plant

3. First Light Fusion recreates orbital impact velocities in Texas tests

https://firstlightfusion.com/media/first-light-fusion-successfully-recreates-orbital-impact-velocities-at-texas-am-engineering-experiment-station/

4. Energy Department Releases Finalized Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap to Accelerate Commercial Fusion Power

https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-releases-finalized-fusion-science-and-technology-roadmap-accelerate

Bonus:

How fusion is powering UK prosperity – Episode 5: First Light Fusion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLNTcdlQoAo

Interview with SHINE: A Revenue-Backed Roadmap on the Path to Fusion (FusionX:Americas)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGISpdJDwTM