Affordable Fusion Energy Within the Next Decade?

General Fusion, a Canadian startup based in Richmond, British Columbia, is making significant strides in its quest for commercial fusion power. The company's innovative Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) approach is designed to achieve scientific break-even by 2026, with the potential for grid-scale fusion energy by the mid-2030s.

The company's flagship project, Lawson Machine 26 (LM26), is a large-scale MTF demonstration device. Installed and operating since early 2025, LM26 is designed to demonstrate MTF fusion at roughly 50% of the scale needed for a commercial power plant. It has already achieved its first plasma in February 2025 and first plasma compression in April 2025. The goal is to reach 10 million degrees Celsius soon, then push to 100 million degrees Celsius by late 2025 to approach scientific break-even.

Achieving a plasma temperature around 100 million °C (10 keV) is essential for scientific break-even. Afterward, General Fusion plans to build a half-scale fusion machine capable of repeated compressions at a power gain (Q) significantly above 1 (more than 10x scientific break-even). However, several core technical challenges remain, such as managing plasma confinement at high energy density, controlling impurities from liquid metal used in compression, handling liquid metal vaporization, and ensuring symmetrical implosion dynamics.

General Fusion has secured significant funding to accelerate this work, including $25 million in new funding in August 2023, and additional investments from various sources, including the Canadian government and private investors. The recent funding rounds demonstrate growing confidence in General Fusion's approach to fusion energy.

In April 2024, General Fusion launched a collaboration with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) to advance the design of its commercial fusion power plant. The collaboration aims to refine the integration of the fusion machine, balance of plant, and power conversion systems, bringing the company one step closer to providing fusion energy to the power grid.

The timeline for providing fusion energy to the power grid has become more specific, with a target of the early to mid-2030s. The progress made by General Fusion and the support it has received from industry experts and investors suggest that its approach to fusion energy is being taken seriously by the scientific community.

General Fusion's fusion system aims to address challenges such as material degradation, fuel production, energy capture, and cost barriers that other fusion technologies face. The company has demonstrated the compression of a water cavity into a controlled, symmetrical shape and reported plasma lifetimes of up to 2 milliseconds and electron temperatures exceeding 400 eV (4,800,000 °C).

While General Fusion's approach to fusion energy differs from other high-profile fusion projects like ITER and the National Ignition Facility, it is gaining traction as a viable pathway to practical, commercial fusion power. The coming years will be crucial in determining whether General Fusion's innovative approach can deliver on its promise.

[1] General Fusion. (2023). General Fusion's MTF Approach. Retrieved from https://www.generalfusion.com/technology/

[2] General Fusion. (2023). Lawson Machine 26. Retrieved from https://www.generalfusion.com/technology/lawson-machine-26/

[3] General Fusion. (2023). Investors. Retrieved from https://www.generalfusion.com/investors/

[4] General Fusion. (2023). News. Retrieved from https://www.generalfusion.com/news/

[5] Canadian Nuclear Laboratories. (2024). General Fusion and CNL Collaborate to Advance Fusion Energy. Retrieved from https://www.cnl.ca/en/news-and-events/news/general-fusion-and-cnl-collaborate-to-advance-fusion-energy