ORNL, Rutherford Energy Ventures LP, and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have launched FULCRA, a new public-private partnership to deliver enabling technologies and strengthen infrastructure needed for next-generation fusion systems. The initiative combines national lab resources and private sector investment to address critical fusion technology gaps, advance DOE's Build-Innovate-Grow strategy, and accelerate the commercialization of fusion energy. Together, this innovative consortium will establish an ecosystem that benefits both public and private research interests and enable advances that would be impossible to achieve alone. 🔗 Read the full news release below for more about this exciting pilot program ⬇️
We're excited to announce that Rutherford Energy Ventures LP is partnering with the Office of the Under Secretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to launch FULCRA (Fusion Upscaled Leveraged Consortia for Rapid Acceleration)—implementing Jean Paul Allain's Build-Innovate-Grow strategy by creating the shared infrastructure America's fusion sector needs to succeed. The private sector has mobilized over $11 billion toward fusion, driving remarkable progress in plasma physics. But commercial fusion requires the development of critical technologies and integrated facilities to test them. These capital-intensive capabilities are beyond the reach of any single company, yet every fusion company will need them. As Dr. Dario Gil, Under Secretary for Science at the Department of Energy, stated, "Through this collaboration with national laboratories and private industry, we're establishing testing capabilities that will accelerate innovation and commercialization. Under President Trump's direction, we're deploying America's unmatched scientific resources more efficiently than ever to secure our energy future." This partnership enables FULCRA to develop specialized capabilities accessible through consortium arrangements to accelerate fusion technology development and commercialization. With competitors like China accelerating their national fusion infrastructure programs, American energy leadership demands this kind of strategic partnership. FULCRA is how we build that capability. This is how America captures the fusion future. See the press release below: https://lnkd.in/ePMCms9j Special thanks to Heather Jackson and others whose aligned purpose and vision made this possible. #FusionEnergy #EnergyInnovation #PublicPrivatePartnership #EnergyDominance #AmericanInnovation #DeepTech #GenesisMission