Render of the future Commonwealth Fusion Systems鈥� fusion nuclear reactor plant in Virginia, US. (Image: Commonwealth Fusion Systems)

According to MIT鈥檚 release, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a US-based power company, which got its start as a school project at MIT in 2012, intends to construct a 400MW nuclear fusion power plant, scheduled for operation in the early 2030s.

鈥淭he plant will be built at the James River Industrial Park outside of Richmond through a non-financial collaboration with Dominion Energy Virginia, which will provide development and technical expertise along with leasing rights for the site,鈥� said MIT. 鈥淐FS will independently finance, build, own, and operate the power plant.鈥�

It鈥檚 estimated the energy produced by the nuclear fusion facility could power about 150,000 homes.

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鈥淭his will be a watershed moment for fusion,鈥� says CFS co-founder Dennis Whyte. 鈥淚t sets the pace in the race toward commercial fusion power plants. The ambition is to build thousands of these power plants and to change the world.鈥�

Denis Whyte (Image: MIT)

Whyte added the fusion device uses a novel type of superconducting magnet, which allows confinement of plasma used in the reaction, and it is far more compact than prior reactors or tokamaks (devices that use a powerful magnetic field to produce controlled thermonuclear fusion power).

An exact cost for construction and development of the project was not available, but media reported CFS has committed to a multi-billion-dollar investment.

Some speculation on Virginia鈥檚 nuclear fusion power plant

While MIT鈥檚 announcement came with claims of being the 鈥渨orld鈥檚 first鈥� grid-scale fusion plant if completed, a massive experimental fusion power project ongoing in France called ITER (International Fusion Energy Project) would (in theory) have a chance to hold that title if not for the fact that it鈥檚 a research and development programme.

That sprawling build 鈥� which includes construction of the world鈥檚 largest tokamak, assembly of which completed earlier this year 鈥� may not be operational until 2040. The programme was formed in 2006 and had plans of running its first full test in 2020, which was pushed back.

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Citing the complex nature of building fusion reactors 鈥� with ITER leading the way in discovering the processes鈥� challenges 鈥� Scientific American (SciAm), a US-based publishing company, of CFS鈥� and Virginia鈥檚 stated ambitions and timetable.

鈥淟et鈥檚 hold our nuclear horses for just a moment: there are several steps that must be completed before this fusion plant, named ARC (for 鈥榓ffordable, robust, compact鈥�), could be plugged into Virginia鈥檚 power grid,鈥� wrote SciAm. 鈥淔or one, CFS has not finished its demonstration machine.鈥�

A render of the 鈥淎RC鈥� fusion reactor by Commonwealth Fusion Systems. (Image: Commonwealth Fusion Systems)

That demo unit is called SPARC (鈥渟mallest possible ARC鈥�) and is in Massachusetts (about 550 miles northeast of Chesterfield County). The term 鈥淎rc Reactor鈥� is borrowed from pop culture: it鈥檚 what Marvel鈥檚 Tony Stark (Iron Man) called his compact energy machine that powered his super suit.

鈥淭he company says it expects the completed SPARC to show net energy production in 2027. That alone would be a feat,鈥� remarked SciAm.

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And there鈥檚 good reason for scepticism on the presented timetable. The ITER Council, earlier this year, announced an extension of its deadlines (a baseline for which was reset in 2016); originally, the plant was to produce its first plasma by next year. Instead, this has been pushed back to 2036, with expectations that the entire project is unlikely to run a full test until 2039.

But it鈥檚 important to note there is no 鈥渆nd game鈥� for ITER. 鈥淚TER will not convert the heating power it produces as electricity, but 鈥� as the first of all magnetic confinement fusion experiments in history to produce net energy gain across the plasma 鈥� it will prepare the way for the machines that can,鈥� the group鈥檚 webpage said.

And while no two projects are alike (and that鈥檚 particularly true with these examples), its likely CFS could run into similar delays and holdups that frequently plagued ITER. Conversely, the research done by ITER over the decades could also help streamline CFS鈥� initiatives.

An aerial view of the 180 hectare site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. (Image: ITER)

In CFS鈥� favour is that, unlike ITER, it doesn鈥檛 intend to build the world鈥檚 largest tokamak, nor is its principal mission discovery and exploration.

Instead, CFS鈥� Virginia fusion technology is meant to be an economic and sustainable energy source for Virginia鈥檚 energy grid and its compact and economic design, which 鈥� if developed successfully at scale 鈥� could help honour the ambitious timetable.

Ian Waitz, MIT鈥檚 vice president for research, said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e in a 鈥榟ockey stick鈥� moment in fusion energy, where things are moving incredibly quickly now.

鈥淥n the other hand, we can鈥檛 forget about the much longer part of that hockey stick, the sustained support for very complex, fundamental research that underlies great innovations.

鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to continue to lead the world in these cutting-edge technologies, continued investment in those areas will be crucial.鈥�

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