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nuclear fusion

The Energy Department Hails a Breakthrough in Fusion Energy, Achieving a Net Energy Gain With Livermore’s Vast Laser Array

The project’s director said the lab is “a few decades of research” away from a commercial power plant. Climate scientists, meanwhile, expressed interest but said the breakthrough must not deter the world’s ongoing quest to counter global warming.

By Marianne Lavelle

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories Director Dr. Kim Budil holds a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on Dec. 13, 2022 in Washington, D.C. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
National Ignition Facility Site Manager Vaughn Draggoo walks the length of one the laser bays inside the facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab on Thursday, May 4, 2000. Credit: Jim Ketsdever/MediaNews Group/Contra Costa Times via Getty Images

Nuclear Fusion: Why the Race to Harness the Power of the Sun Just Sped Up

By Tom Wilson in Oxford and Ian Bott in London, Financial Times

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