RICHMOND, Va. — Tuesday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that the world's first nuclear fusion energy plant is expected to come to Chesterfield County. The science behind it is groundbreaking and still being studied. But can it really work?
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University say a new nuclear fusion plant in the state represents a significant leap forward for innovation that benefits both the environment and job creation.
"Fusion is really eye-opening, in terms of science, not really in terms of engineering yet," said Dr. Supathorn Phongikaroon, VCU's Director of Nuclear Engineering Programs. "At this point, yeah there's some engineering applications to it but it still needs a lot of perfection, the science, so to have a dedicated center for that, that's very exciting for future generations for science and technology."
WATCH: World's first commercial fusion energy power plant announced for Chesterfield
The plant will be independently financed, constructed, owned, and operated by Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), which says it will be a multi-billion-dollar project.
"Fusion is what powers the stars, and we are basically trying to build a star here on Earth and use it to make electricity," said Alex Creely, a designer for the CFS plant.
According to project designers, the fusion process involves bringing together atoms such as hydrogen and helium, creating a reaction that is hotter than the core of the sun. Although fusion has been researched for decades, CFS's approach utilizes a donut-shaped machine and advanced magnets to sustain the reaction for extended periods.
"We're now combining that with a new magnet technology which lets you build this machine smaller, more compact and efficient. It takes us from a science experiment to a practical energy source that can supply electricity to the grid," Alex Creely of CFS explained.
Experts consider fusion a "holy grail" energy source because it is relatively safe to produce and regarded as clean energy, if it creates more energy than required to produce it.
Dr. Lane Carasik, a fusion researcher at VCU, said he's optimistic about the project's success.
"Even if it doesn't work, having a power-producing facility in Chesterfield will give us a research and development prototype to identify and address unforeseen challenges," Carasik said.
The planned plant will be located on property owned by Dominion Energy in Chesterfield, right near the site of a projected methane gas plant.
"We see this as a positive thing," said Jason Woodby with Friends of Chesterfield, an advocacy group that's spoken out against the proposed methane plant. "It would really ease some of my concerns to see the data coming out of the project, essentially just showing that, you know, there's a net increase of energy, energy put in, versus energy that comes out, and just you know, having that data would just assure us that this is something worthwhile pursing and that there's going to be a real benefit to the community coming out of it."
Carasik said the project will help attract top scientists and create jobs in the area, which could have a positive impact on Chesterfield.
He, and those behind the project, said the project is safe in nature and is a better option for energy production, which is projected to provide enough energy to power 150,000 homes.
"We want a power source that has a majority of its fuel on site for years at a time, and we don't have that with coal plants," Carasik said. "We don't have that with natural gas plants. We do have that with nuclear. And if we can get that to happen with Fusion, that will be, that would be society changing in a very positive way across all humans, in my opinion."
So far, CFS has raised more than $2 billion in capital, has been awarded $16.5 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, and as recently as June 2024, received $15 million as part of the first phase of the DOE's Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program.
CFS has said to have received $1 million in grant money by Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank, matched with a $1 million grant by Chesterfield County.
Production is slated to start in the 2030s.
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