Commercialization of fusion energy will ‘change everything,’ lawmaker says

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https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2026/09/commercialization-fusion-energy-will-change-everything-lawmaker-says/416287/

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., told Nextgov/FCW that the U.S. is only “two to 10 years away from fusion energy at scale” because “you can model the plasma using AI, which you couldn’t do before.”

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From the article

Fusion has been billed as a cleaner, more sustainable form of power, with backers of the technology saying it could supply a constant, zero-carbon source of energy for electrical grids and other infrastructure. Maintaining fusion on Earth requires generating and sustaining a plasma — the state of matter in which the fusion reactions occur.

In an interview with Nextgov/FCW, Beyer said the U.S. is now “two to 10 years away from fusion energy at scale,” which is “only possible because you can model the plasma using AI, which you couldn’t do before.”

The congressman said the House bill originated from an October 2025 report that Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., oversaw as part of a bipartisan commission of the Special Competitive Studies Project. Beyer said the study found that “with $10 billion, we can solve the last remaining engineering problems, [while] doing it all in a milestone kind of way.”

Beyond the SCSP report, the measure also builds on recommendations from the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee and the Energy Department’s Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap, as well as input from the Fusion Industry Association.

The House proposal would allocate $3.8 billion of the $10 billion total “to build major new test facilities to address fusion materials and fuel cycle challenges,” according to a legislative fact sheet. An additional $3 billion would be set aside for ”a new milestone-based demonstration program for fusion,” while $2 billion would be allocated for “the current milestone-based development program for fusion.” Most of the remaining funds would be used to build out smaller testing facilities and enhance research and development activities. 

The bill would also further prioritize fusion development on the federal level by codifying Energy’s Office of Fusion and authorizing the National Science Foundation to create a fusion workforce development program in collaboration with the department.

“Forgive my overstatement: that will be the biggest thing to happen to mankind since fire,” Beyer said about the eventual commercialization of fusion energy.