Pacific Fusion Breaks Ground in New Mexico

Pacific Fusion has begun construction of a research and manufacturing campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a pulsed-power fusion demonstration system.

The $1 billion-scale campus at Mesa del Sol will house a system designed to achieve net facility energy gain by 2030. This means producing more fusion energy than the total energy initially stored in the machine. The company is also targeting fusion output exceeding 100 megajoules for high-energy-density and national security research.

Pacific Fusion’s approach uses modular pulsed-power equipment and components intended for volume manufacturing. The company is expanding a separate operation in Los Lunas, New Mexico, to manufacture pulsed-power modules, which will serve as building blocks for the demonstration system. Its next technical milestone is testing a full-scale pulser module.

The facility will require industrial fluid-control and supporting mechanical systems typical of large energy and research installations. Potential applications include cooling water, vacuum support, compressed gases, process utilities and safety isolation. Pacific Fusion has not disclosed valve specifications, suppliers or procurement schedules.

The company also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. The agreement covers possible collaboration in high-yield fusion, pulsed-power technology, advanced materials, modeling and related research.

Pacific Fusion expects the Albuquerque campus to support approximately 200 permanent positions, along with construction and regional jobs. Founded in 2023, the company says its technology builds on fusion and pulsed-power research conducted at U.S. national laboratories, including Sandia, Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore.