Virginia has plans to launch the world's first fusion power plant.
On Tuesday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) announced that the largest private fusion company, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, will build the world's first grid-scale commercial fusion plant. It will be located at the James River Industrial Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The long-term project is expected to expand into the 2030s.
"This is an historic moment for Virginia and the world at large," Youngkin said in a press release from his office. "Commonwealth Fusion Systems is not just building a facility, they are pioneering groundbreaking innovation to generate clean, reliable, safe power, and it's happening right here in Virginia. We are proud to be home to this pursuit to change the future of energy and power."
CFS co-founder and CEO Bob Mumgaard boasted that the project would make the Richmond region the envy of the world.
"In the early 2030s, all eyes will be on the Richmond region, and more specifically Chesterfield County, as the birthplace of commercial fusion energy," he said. "Virginia emerged as a strong partner as they look to implement innovative solutions for both reliable electricity and clean forms of power. We are pleased to collaborate with Dominion Energy."
CFS, headquartered in Massachusetts, chose Virginia after a global search. The company's first fusion demonstration machine, SPARC, is set to produce its first plasma in 2026, after which it will lead to the world's first commercial fusion power plant, ARC. It will generate roughly 400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 150,000 homes, according to the company. ARC is expected to begin producing energy in the early 2030s.
"This is a tremendous announcement for Chesterfield County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the future of clean energy generation across the globe," Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said. "As we continue to build a clean energy economy, fusion energy is poised to play a critical role in providing the firm, reliable, and clean power needed to support growing energy demands in Virginia and across the nation. I'm incredibly proud Virginia will host this first-of-a-kind commercial fusion power plant and look forward to the continued development of this transformational technology."
Despite CFS's optimism, however, many experts in the field are still skeptical about when fusion power will be achieved. Astrophysicist Paul Sutter pointed out that physicists have said for nearly half a century that the world was on the verge of fusion reactors. Controlling and slowing a nuclear fusion reaction has proven to be exceedingly difficult.
"I can't say for certain when, if ever, we'll achieve sustainable fusion power," Sutter wrote for Space.com. "But here are my odds, constructed entirely unscientifically: a 10% chance in the next 20 years, a 50% chance in the next century, a 30% chance within the next 100 years after that, and a 10% chance of it never happening."
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Sutter said the quest for fusion energy would be "generational," comparing it to great irrigation projects for early humans, the development of steam power, or railroads. The prioritization of nuclear weapons means that fusion research has taken a back seat.
"This means fusion research has been relegated to the same priority as most other lines of research, which means it will take roughly a century to come to fruition," Sutter wrote. "But that's OK. We'll take our time with this, we'll get it right, and it will be worth it."