Pacific Fusion Begins $1 Billion Fusion Reactor Construction in New Mexico

Pacific Fusion has started building a $1 billion test reactor in Albuquerque, New Mexico, targeting net energy gain by 2030 using mass-producible Z-pinch fusion technology.

Pacific Fusion, a three-year-old startup, began construction of its $1 billion test reactor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The project aims to achieve net facility-scale energy gain—where output exceeds total system energy consumption—by 2030. This differs from previous fusion approaches: while Sandia National Laboratories achieved scientific net gain in 2022, Pacific Fusion’s design targets two to three times Sandia’s output using Z-pinch technology, inspired by Sandia’s Z-machine but avoiding Lawrence Livermore’s inertial confinement method. The startup plans to deploy 156 identical, mass-manufacturable reactor modules to scale production. Crucially, Pacific Fusion’s net energy gain target requires overcoming significant engineering hurdles beyond scientific net gain, including energy losses in conversion systems. If successful, this could enable near-limitless clean energy for the grid. What to watch: Whether Pacific Fusion achieves its 2030 net facility gain target and whether its mass-production strategy scales without compromising safety or efficiency. Current fusion progress remains experimental, with no commercial reactors yet delivering net energy gain at facility scale.

Source: Heatmap