Net energy gain marks breakthrough for fusion research

On December 5, 2022, a team at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to reach this milestone, producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it.

As well as clean fusion energy, the achievement at NIF is expected to provide unprecedented capability to support National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)’s Stockpile Stewardship Program.

“The pursuit of fusion ignition in the laboratory is one of the most significant scientific challenges ever tackled by humanity, and achieving it is a triumph of science, engineering, and most of all, people,” LLNL director Dr Kim Budil said in a statement. “Crossing this threshold is the vision that has driven 60 years of dedicated pursuit - a continual process of learning, building, expanding knowledge and capability, and then finding ways to overcome the new challenges that emerged. These are the problems that the US national laboratories were created to solve.”