Nuclear Regulatory Commission Nears Final Rule on Fusion Energy

A final regulation is expected as soon as this fall. Regulators view fusion as fundamentally safer than nuclear fission. This view supports a simpler permitting process than the one used for conventional nuclear plants.

Fission generates power by splitting heavy atoms apart. The process creates heat for electricity and long-lived radioactive waste. Fusion generates power by combining light atoms together, the same process that powers the stars. Fusion produces no long-lived radioactive waste.

Federal regulators concluded in 2023 that fusion's risk profile is closer to existing medical and research radiation systems than to nuclear fission.

The rule makes clear that fusion energy is permanently and completely separated from the regulation of nuclear fission. The physics of fusion are inherently safe. The regulatory regime that needs to regulate it can be much lighter than the one for fission.

Regulators in the United Kingdom, Canada and elsewhere are moving toward fusion frameworks that treat the technology differently from conventional nuclear fission reactors. Environmental groups that have long expressed skepticism about nuclear power are likely to be more open to fusion.

The Natural Resources Defense Council said it welcomes the momentum on fusion. The group added that it will still demand strong safety and health guardrails.

Regulation is not the hardest part of commercializing fusion. Science and engineering remain higher hurdles. Dozens of fusion startups are still racing to overcome those scientific and engineering hurdles to commercialize their technologies. Executives at two startups said they anticipate a commercial fusion plant between 2030 and 2040.