The private fusion startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) recently announced that the world’s first commercial nuclear fusion plant will be built in the U.S. If all goes to plan, the company will construct the plant at the James River Industrial Park in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

Dominion Energy Virginia will provide “development and technical expertise” and leasing rights to the proposed site as part of a non-financial collaboration. Dominion Energy Virginia currently owns the site.

“This is a historic moment,” said CEO and Co-Founder of CFS Bob Mumgaard. “In the early 2030s, all eyes will be on the Richmond region and, more specifically, Chesterfield County, Virginia, as the birthplace of commercial fusion energy.”

Commonwealth Fusion Systems’s tokamak, a machine used to create nuclear fusion, October 11, 2023; Photo: Steven Senne/AP

Reliable and Clean Energy

According to CFS, the nuclear fusion power plant, known as ARC, will support the state of Virginia’s economic development and clean energy needs. It’s expected to generate billions of dollars in economic development in the region while creating hundreds of jobs during construction and long-term operations.

The nuclear fusion company says ARC will generate 400 megawatts of electricity, enough energy to power industrial sites or about 150,000 homes. Nuclear fusion promises to address the need for a clean and abundant energy source to replace fossil fuels.

What is Nuclear Fusion

Nuclear fusion fuses atoms together to create a big burst of energy. The process uses hydrogen, the most abundant element, to achieve this. Fusion is nearly limitless and produces no planet-heating pollution. Unlike fission, the nuclear technology the world currently uses leaves no legacy of long-term nuclear waste.

However, taking it from research labs to commercial use has proved difficult. CFS acknowledges this. Mumgaard said, “Nothing occurs overnight in fusion.” CFS is on the right track, though. Since spinning out of MIT in 2018, the company has raised more than $2 billion. CFS leaders say it is moving at pace.

The “next act,” Mumgaard said, is building, owning, and operating a power plant to plug fusion power into the grid.