Nuclear fusion development bill introduced by bipartisan US lawmakers

WASHINGTON, D.C.: This week, U.S. senators from both parties introduced legislation to accelerate the development of nuclear fusion reactor power plants.

Senators Alex Padilla, a Democrat, John Cornyn, a Republican, and others introduced the bill.

Fusion, an emerging technology tipped to be the key to combating climate change, aims to replicate the process that fuels the sun by fusing two light atoms to create energy.

The technology could be a power source that emits virtually no greenhouse gases and minimizes the creation of large amounts of long-lasting radioactive waste.

Countries, including Japan, the UK, and China, also aim to develop nuclear fusion.

In addition, as there are fewer concerns about waste and safety, in 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) voted to create a separate regulatory framework for fusion, the Fusion Energy Act, from nuclear fission.

The act, which aims to ensure the development of an NRC regulatory framework that will support the growth of commercial fusion, will require the commission to report to Congress within a year about licensing commercial fusion machines.

"We now need clear regulatory authority to scale up commercial American fusion energy facilities and incentivize fusion investments," Padilla said.

"Fusion Energy offers a potential clean, safe power source that can help meet our nation's energy needs. I am proud to support advancements in fusion technology as part of Texas' all-of-the-above energy economy," Cornyn said.

The House of Representatives has already passed a companion bill.