Fusion emerges, boosted by Big Tech
Helion Energy, a startup partnering with Microsoft, has started construction on a fusion power reactor, joining the race to complete the country's first. It's planning to deliver energy to Microsoft data centers within three years.
That timeline may be ambitious for a long-hyped technology, but a breakthrough would be significant, write Peter Behr and Christa Marshall. Fusion mimics the energy generation of stars and could produce massive amounts of power on demand without greenhouse gas emissions.
It's the latest sign of how Big Tech's deep pockets are reshaping energy technology.
Microsoft is working with Constellation Energy to reopen Three Mile Island, the nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania (that's fission, not fusion). Amazon has said it plans to deploy 5 gigawatts of small modular reactors by 2040, while Meta, Oracle, OpenAI, Google and Amazon have also made investments in advanced nuclear.
Support from Google has helped geothermal startup Fervo bring commercial pilot projects online.
Google has also committed to purchasing power from Commonwealth Fusion Systems' planned commercial fusion plant in Virginia. At an energy conference in March, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) talked up the announcement, saying fusion 'changes the whole game' in the race to unleash more power.
Reality Check
Helion's planned project in Malaga, Washington, is expected to produce at least 50 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 17,000 homes.
Here's the grain of salt (really a heaping spoonful): Fusion energy has been hyped for decades but scientists have not reliably been able to generate more energy than it takes to create the initial reaction.
Scientists reached by Peter and Christa are skeptical of Helion's timeline, with one saying they are still 'decades away' from competing with a conventional nuclear or natural gas plant.
But the money is there. The Fusion Industry Association says Helion is one of three developers with at least $1 billion in investments, with global investments topping $9.7 billion.
In part, that's because of the tech industry's unique needs. In the U.S. alone, the electricity needs from data centers could triple between 2023 and 2028, according to a 2024 federal study. An analysis this week from S&P Global found that the tech and web services sector accounts for a whopping 68 percent of the corporate clean energy market because of its 'unmatched combination of aggressive clean energy goals and unrivaled energy demand growth.'
Whether that boom continues after the Republican megalaw — which phases out many clean energy tax incentives — remains to be seen. And Trump's cuts may even be coming for fusion: the administration's budget proposal would reduce federal research into the technology, despite recent breakthroughs at federal labs that could bring the energy to reality.
It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Jason Plautz. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to jplautz@eenews.net.
Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Ben Lefebvre breaks down the EU's massive energy deal that was part of its trade agreement with the U.S.
Power Centers
EPA axes researchThe Environmental Protection Agency's piecemeal dismemberment of its science initiatives is gathering steam, stoking fears over scientific independence, writes Sean Reilly.
EPA has already axed many grant-funded projects midstream, on the grounds that they no longer mesh with administration priorities. Now it plans to dissolve the Office of Research and Development, which supporters and former officials describe as an irreplaceable engine of innovation in fields like chemical safety and the risks posed by pollution exposure.
'It is heartbreaking to see what's being proposed and the actions that are being taken,' said Jennifer Orme-Zavaleta, who served as a top ORD career staffer before retiring in 2021. 'It's really putting American lives at risk.'
The Trump threat to American gasThere are fears in Europe that the continent's energy alliance with the U.S. could be shattered if Trump offers concessions to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, write Karl Mathiesen, Zack Colman, Gabriel Gavin, Ben Lefebvre and Hanne Cokelaere.
U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe allowed countries to swap out Russian gas after the war started. They're committing to buy more of it now as part of trade deals with the U.S. to avoid tariffs. But it would be difficult to ignore cheaper Russian gas if it were to flow again because of any deals to end the war.
'The one thing that would derail the spectacular growth of the U.S. [LNG] industry is the reopening of flows from Russia. There's no question about that,' said Geoffrey Pyatt, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and energy official for former President Joe Biden.
Wright's climate contrariansThe Department of Energy is reframing long-established climate science as a debate, with the help of five researchers who have spent years questioning climate change, Scott Waldman and Benjamin Storrow write.
The agency released a climate report Tuesday to support the Trump administration's push to roll back greenhouse gas regulations. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Fox News that the report was meant to push back on the 'cancel culture Orwellian squelching of science.'
Some of the report's assertions have been debunked for years, however, and multiple scientists said their work was misrepresented.
In Other News
New fear unlocked: DOE has reported the discovery of a radioactive wasp nest at a facility once involved in the production of parts for nuclear weapons.
How it happened: China has become the leading seller of electric vehicles, solar panels and lithium-ion batteries — all invented in the U.S. — thanks to government policies and incentives.
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Renewable energy is set to overtake coal at the top source of electricity globally by the end of next year, according to the International Energy Agency.
Trump nominated Ho Nieh, the vice president of regulatory affairs at Southern Nuclear, to serve on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
A Trump administration official tasked with overhauling the Interior Department's budget and staffing is getting ready to leave the agency, raising questions about who will take over the reorganization.
That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.
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