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Commonwealth Fusion zeroes in on US for plant

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A photo of Tokamak Hall, a giant, mostly white-walled building at Commonwealth Fusion Systems' headquarters in Devens, Mass., where the company is building its next reactor. A series of gray stickers on the far wall depict roughly where the reactor will be and how it will look.

Commonwealth is building a demonstration reactor in Tokamak Hall, a giant building at the company's headquarters in Devens, Mass. A sticker on the far wall depicts how it will look. Photo: Alan Neuhauser/Axios

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is "taking a hard look at the U.S." for its first commercial-scale fusion power plant, a company spokesperson said yesterday.

Why it matters: The unproven nuclear technology, if successful, would be one of the biggest breakthroughs in energy production.

Driving the news: Commonwealth is evaluating locations for a planned 400 MW fusion plant it's calling ARC.

  • That's roughly the capacity of a medium-sized coal plant.
  • The fusion plant would be a successor to the demonstration plant that Commonwealth is building at its headquarters in Devens, Massachusetts.

The latest: The company has engaged in a "global search" for a location, but it's especially interested in the U.S., head of global policy and public affairs Kristen Cullen said.

  • "We are looking at the U.S., and we have focused on the U.S. in the search," Cullen said.

Of note: The company said it's evaluating incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden last year.

  • "We are looking at the IRA for future power plant projects. We think it would be relevant for ARC," Cullen said.

Between the lines: Another crucial consideration: grid interconnection queues.

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