The Department of Energy released a road map Thursday to develop fusion energy, outlining a restructuring of science offices and calling for new infrastructure to bridge major technology “gaps.”
The blueprint marks the first time that the second Trump administration has detailed what it intends to do to develop fusion, which has not been demonstrated at scale but holds the potential to provide around-the-clock power with low emissions. The road map pushes for funding in six technical areas and sets new metrics for the industry, among other things.
“For the first time, DOE, industry, and our national labs will be aligned with a shared purpose — to accelerate the path to commercial fusion power and strengthen America’s leadership in energy innovation,” Darío Gil, DOE’s undersecretary for science, said in a statement.
DOE’s announcement comes as investors are pouring unprecedented amounts of money into fusion, which envisions harnessing the same reaction that powers the sun to provide electricity. Several companies are aiming to bring first-of-a-kind power plants online by the early 2030s.
Industry investments now total $9 billion and have grown fivefold since 2021, according to the Fusion Industry Association. While the industry has called for more government investment, DOE has not committed to increasing its fusion budget.
The road map, which is based on input from more than 600 scientists over a decade, sets a strategy to develop fusion based on three drivers: building critical infrastructure; innovating through research, computing and artificial intelligence; and growing the “fusion ecosystem.” The last goal would be accomplished through regional manufacturing hubs, workforce development and public private partnerships.
For infrastructure, for example, DOE plans to focus on “engineering for extreme environments” and “harnessing fusion power,” since the industry is pouring billions of dollars into machines to sustain burning plasma. The agency said an existing program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory — called the Materials Plasma Exposure Experiment — could play an important role in developing fusion materials that are more resilient.
DOE said it would aim to build small-to-medium-scale facilities in the next three to five years to help companies better harness fusion reactions. It also plans to implement new public-private partnership programs, including one that would allow DOE researchers to conduct peer-reviewed science at private facilities to “enhance the scientific rigor and breadth of the existing private efforts.”
Other parts of the strategy include linking universities with national labs to help develop a fusion workforce and completing a $150 million facility with Colorado State University to test fusion technologies. The technical areas where DOE said it plans to target investments include fuel cycles, structural materials and plant engineering.
DOE said it recently restructured its fusion program into two divisions, partly to facilitate more public and private partnerships. It said the changes aim to respond in part to a Government Accountability Office report in January calling for DOE to alter programs to focus more on commercializing fusion, a strategy also pushed by fusion industry leaders.
The industry also faces skeptics who say the technology is overhyped and not likely to deliver on promises to deliver electricity in the next decade.
At a fusion event in Washington this week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said “we need to bring more government money into” the industry. The Fusion Industry Association has been calling for a $5 billion to $10 billion investment to advance the technology.
But DOE said Thursday it is not committing to specific funding levels, noting that future spending is determined by Congress. President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request called for a reduction in DOE’s fusion budget, although the House supported legislation that would increase it. DOE’s fusion budget is currently about $790 million.
In a statement, Andrew Holland, head of the Fusion Industry Association, said DOE has done “important work,” adding that the road map shows “how to collaborate across public, private, and universities to achieve commercial fusion. It outlines how to work across borders with partners. “
“Ultimately, a map can tell you where you’re driving to, but it can’t get you there unless there’s gas in the tank. It’s time for the US government to meet the ambitions of the private sector and fund this plan to the level necessary,” Holland said.
