On Tuesday, June 13, while the major media were focused on a courtroom in Miami, the Energy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology held an hour-and-a-half hearing titled “From Theory to Reality: The Limitless Potential of Fusion Energy.”
Witnesses providing testimonies were Dr. Kathryn McCarthy, Director of the U.S. ITER Project Office at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Dr. David Kirtley, founder and CEO of the Washington State based Helion Energy; Dr. Wayne Solomon, Vice President of the Magnetic Fusion Energy Division of General Atomics; Andrew Holland, CEO of the Fusion Industry Association; and Dr. Scott C. Hsu, Senior Advisor and Lead Fusion Coordinator for the Department of Energy.
It seems that the one thing some Republicans and Democrats can agree on, besides giving money to Ukraine, is to increase funding for fusion, both for its physical potential, and out of fear that China will commercialize it first.
Brief mention was made of the fusion breakeven breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility last December. Dr. Kirtley spoke about Microsoft having signed a power purchase agreement with Helion to buy 50 Megawatts of continuous fusion-generated electrical power beginning in 2028. [See CSNC article from May 10: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/10/microsoft-agrees-to-buy-power-from-sam-altman-backed-helion-in-2028.html]
