Commonwealth Fusion Systems Opens Fusion Energy Campus on The Fastest Path to Bring Clean Fusion Energy to the World
● U.S. Secretary of Energy Secretary Granholm joined Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, U.S. Senator Warren, U.S. Senator Markey, Congresswoman Trahan, and a host of state and local leaders today for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting held by CFS
● CFS’ new Devens, MA campus is home to the most advanced private fusion energy company working to commercialize a new clean energy source to combat climate change
DEVENS, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) officially opened its new campus to support the development and deployment of commercial fusion energy. The ceremonial event today included visits from U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator Edward Markey, U.S. Representative Lori Trahan, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, along with a host of state and local leaders.
The nearly 50-acre campus is home to CFS’ corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturing facility, and the SPARC facility, the world’s first commercially viable net energy fusion machine now under construction. The expansive campus also enables ongoing company growth to scale commercial fusion power for the world.
“The opening of this campus marks an important moment as we continue to accelerate towards commercially, globally deployable fusion energy. This site brings together our team, the proven and next stage technologies, the advanced manufacturing capabilities, and the demonstration of actual fusion performance at the scale required to bring fusion energy off the lab bench and to the market,” said CFS CEO Bob Mumgaard. “From the beginning, CFS’ mission has been to leverage proven fusion energy science and the speed of the private sector to support the fastest surest path to clean commercial fusion energy to combat climate change. This campus demonstrates our commitment to and execution of that plan, and will be the place where fusion science becomes fusion energy.”
“Massachusetts has such a rich history of being on the forefront. You’re the place where the first telephone call was made, you’re the place where the typewriter was invented, you’re the place where the industry standards for the internet happened, you’re the place where the chocolate chip cookie was invented. You are on the cutting edge of so much. But this Commonwealth Fusion Systems effort, for the world, could be the most momentous of all,” said Secretary of Energy Granholm.
“I was glad to celebrate the opening of Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ new campus in Devens, Massachusetts dedicated to fusion energy!” said Senator Warren. “The landmark achievements that we have seen in the fusion energy space have been made possible because of federal investments in science and research, which I have been fighting for alongside my colleagues since I got to the Senate. I am proud that Massachusetts is a leader in developing this technology of the future that will help us meet our scientific and clean energy goals.”
“Massachusetts is the Brain State, leading the nation in innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges—and the Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ groundbreaking work on magnetic fusion is an exciting next chapter in this history,” said Senator Markey. “These brilliant minds are charting the fastest path to commercial fusion energy, putting us on the road to deploying limitless, safe, carbon-free energy. Combatting the climate crisis will require an arsenal of inventive technologies, and CFS’ fusion technology will be a critical arrow in our quiver.”
“From the American Revolution to our Industrial Revolution, Massachusetts has always led the way. Today, as we find ourselves on the precipice of another revolution – a clean energy revolution – the Commonwealth is ready to lead once again,” said Congresswoman Lori Trahan. “Commonwealth Fusion’s work to get us closer to unlocking low cost, carbon free fusion energy is groundbreaking. This trailblazing research and development is only made possible by the strong leadership of President Biden and Secretary Granholm, our Congressional Delegation, the Healey-Driscoll administration, and private investment. I look forward to the work ahead with each of these partners to win the fusion energy race and defeat the climate crisis.”
“Governor Healey and I are thrilled that Commonwealth Fusion Systems chose Massachusetts as the home for their corporate headquarters, advanced manufacturing facility and SPARC facility. We have a great opportunity here to make Massachusetts a hub for fusion energy and drive real progress on our climate goals, job creation and economic competitiveness. Our administration wants to be a partner to the scientists, academics, researchers, and businesses who are exploring this new frontier,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll.
CFS spun out of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center as a private company in 2018 and is backed by more than $2 billion from the world’s leading investors in clean energy. The company’s approach to fusion is magnetic confinement, a well-studied and proven science. In 2021, CFS and MIT successfully demonstrated a revolutionary 20 tesla high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet, uniquely enabling CFS to develop commercial fusion energy systems by combining proven science with new innovation.
Phase 1 development of the new campus, which broke ground 18 months ago, includes:
● SPARC facility: SPARC is a compact tokamak fusion device that will produce fusion power at a level needed to design commercially viable power plants. SPARC is based on the previously demonstrated HTS technology and builds on decades of proven tokamak science. SPARC is predicted through peer reviewed papers and based on the same assumptions in large international projects to produce over 100 MW of fusion power at fusion gains of Q>10. The facility, under active construction, will be operational in 2025 and achieve net energy soon thereafter, demonstrating that the fusion plasmas can form the basis of a power source and pave the way for the first fusion power plant, ARC, that is expected to start feeding energy into the grid in the early 2030s.
● Manufacturing facility: The site also includes an advanced manufacturing factory for the production of CFS’ groundbreaking HTS magnets that enable the fusion device to be substantially smaller, lower cost, and on a faster timeline than existing tokamak devices, supporting efforts to decarbonize with the speed and scale needed to address climate change. The manufacturing facility is designed to support not only SPARC, but also the first commercial ARC fusion power plants.
● Corporate Headquarters: CFS has grown to more than 430 employees with the majority now working at the Devens, MA location. Teams include experts in fusion, magnets, manufacturing, engineering, materials science, and supply-chain management.
● Expansion: The company plans to expand the campus to include the development of additional facilities for advanced R&D and future manufacturing capabilities for ARC power plants.
“Fusion is entering the transition from exciting science to game changing energy,” said Mumgaard. “The field is unrecognizable to what it was only years ago and it is exciting to think of what we’ll show over the next few years on the path to commercially viable fusion power plants in time to make a difference.”
About CFS
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) was spun out of MIT and founded as a private company. CFS continues its collaboration with MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), combining decades of world-leading research with the innovation and speed of the private sector. The mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. CFS has raised more than $2 billion in funding since it was founded in 2018 and assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change.
Contacts
Media:
Lynda McKinney
