Commercial Fusion is a term used to refer to privately owned companies whose aim is to sell electricity produced by nuclear fusion. The industry now consists of over 40 companies who have attracted a combined total of more than $6 billion in investment.[1][2]
Company | Year founded | Approach | Fuel | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Avalanche Energy | 2018 | Hybrid electrostatic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [3] |
Blue Laser Fusion | 2022 | Inertial confinement | proton - boron | [4] |
Commonwealth Fusion Systems | 2018 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [5] |
Compact Fusion Systems, Inc. | 2018 | [citation needed] | ||
Crossfield Fusion Ltd | 2019 | Closed orbit, velocity resonant systems | Reactor development canceled 2021.[6][7] | |
CTFusion Inc | 2015 | Ceased trading in 2023.[8] | ||
Deutelio | 2022 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - deuterium | [7] |
Electric Fusion Systems, Inc. | 2020 | Rydberg matter fuel-based fusion | proton - lithium7 | [9] |
EMC2 Fusion | 1985 | Polywell | [10][11] | |
Energy Singularity Fusion Power Technology | 2021 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [12] |
ENN Energy | 2018 | Magnetic confinement | proton - boron | [13][5] |
EX-Fusion | 2021 | Inertial confinement | deuterium - tritium | [14] |
First Light Fusion | 2011 | Inertial confinement | deuterium - tritium | [15][16][7][17][5] |
Focused Energy | 2021 | Inertial confinement | deuterium - tritium | [18][7][17][19] |
Fuse | 2019 | Magneto-inertial | deuterium - tritium | [citation needed] |
Fusion Power Corporation | 2016 | Heavy ion fusion | deuterium - tritium | Dissolved in 2019.[20] |
Gauss Fusion | 2022 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [7] |
General Atomics Fusion Division | 2022 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [21] |
General Fusion | 2002 | Magneto-inertial | deuterium - tritium | [5] |
HB11 Energy | 2017 | Non-thermal laser fusion | proton - boron | [22][23][24] |
Helical Fusion | 2021 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [14] |
HelicitySpace Corporation | 2018 | Magneto-inertial | deuterium - deuterium | Targeting spaceflight applications[25] |
Helion Energy | 2013 | Magneto-inertial | deuterium - helium3 | [26] |
Horne Technologies | 2008 | Hybrid magnetic and electrostatic confinement | deuterium - deuterium, proton - boron | [27][better source needed] |
HyperJet Fusion | [5] | |||
Kyoto Fusioneering | 2019 | deuterium - tritium | [14][28] | |
LaserFusionX | 2022 | Inertial confinement | deuterium - tritium | [19] |
Lockheed Martin | 2010 | [29][5] | ||
Longview Fusion Energy Systems | 2021 | Inertial confinement | deuterium - tritium | [17][19] |
LPP Fusion, Inc. [citation needed] | 2003 | Magnetic confinement | proton - boron | Also known as "Lawrenceville Plasma Physics" - see Eric J. Lerner article |
Magneto Inertial Fusion Technology Inc. (MIFTI) | 2009 | Magneto-inertial | deuterium - tritium | Division of US Nuclear Corp[30] |
Marvel Fusion | 2019 | Inertial confinement | proton - boron | [7][19] |
Norront Fusion Energy | 2017 | Muon-catalyzed fusion | [31] | |
NT-Tao | 2019 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [32] |
NearStar Fusion | 2021 | Magneto-inertial | deuterium - tritium, deuterium - deuterium, proton - boron | [33][34] |
NK Labs, LLC | 2008 | Muon-catalyzed fusion | deuterium - tritium | [35] |
Novatron Fusion Group AB | 2019 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [36][37][38] |
Openstar Technologies | 2021 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - deuterium (tritium suppressed) | [citation needed] |
Princeton Fusion Systems | 1992 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - helium3 | [39][5] |
Proxima Fusion | 2023 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [7] |
Realta Fusion | 2022 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [40][41] |
Renaissance Fusion | 2021 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [7] |
Stellarex, Inc | 2022 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [28] |
SHINE Technologies | 2005 | Magneto-electrostatic confinement | deuterium - tritium | SHINE's focus is radioisotope production, not energy.[42][43] |
TAE Technologies | 1998 | Magnetic confinement | proton - boron | formerly Tri Alpha Energy [5] |
Thea Energy (formerly Princeton Stellarators) | 2022 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [28] |
Tokamak Energy | 2009 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [28] |
Type One Energy Group | 2019 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [41] |
Ultrafusion Nuclear Power | Merged with Norront Fusion AS in 2018.[31] | |||
Xcimer Energy Inc. | 2022 | Inertial confinement | deuterium - tritium | [17] |
Zap Energy | 2017 | Magnetic confinement | deuterium - tritium | [26] |
For decades researchers have famously said that fusion power is always 30, or even 50, years away.[44][45] The advent of commercial fusion has changed that, and now fusion power is typically predicted to be around 10 years away, with most companies predicting that the first fusion plant will deliver electricity to the grid before 2035.[46] Although the majority of the companies have only existed for a few years, some have already failed to deliver on their predictions. General Fusion first predicted that it would deliver electricity to the grid by 2009.[47]