Longview Fusion Energy Advances Plan for Fusion Power Plant

On March 8, 2024, Longview Fusion Energy Systems said that it has enlisted engineering and construction firm Fluor to design a laser fusion power plant — a step toward the company's stated goal of delivering power to the grid via its fusion pilot plant by the early 2030s. The California-based Longview aims to use the same laser-based fusion approach championed at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

According to Longview, its fusion power plants (1000-1600 MW) will be able to provide enough power to cover the needs of a small city when operating at full capacity, or provide process heat or power to drive industrial production of the materials needed for operational necessities like steel, fertilizer, and hydrogen fuel.

Longview unveiled plans to build a laser fusion power plant concurrently with the U.S. Department of Energy’s December 2022 announcement regarding NIF’s net gain in energy. The company is collaborating with LLNL on the STARFIRE Hub which aims to accelerate fusion technologies through advances in designs and laser technologies.

Fluor and Longview signed an MOU last April spanning design and planning for the facility.

Gentec Electro-Optics Inc - Measure Your Laser MR

Published: March 2024

Glossary

fusion: 1. The combination of the effects of two or more stimuli in any given sense to form a single sensation. With respect to vision, the perception of continuous illumination formed by the rapid successive presentation of light flashes at a specified rate. 2. The transition of matter from solid to liquid form. 3. With respect to atomic or nuclear fusion, the combination of atomic nuclei, under extreme heat, to form a heavier nucleus.
laser fusion: Optical confinement of matter with high field energies intended to induce a stable nuclear fusion interaction.
inertial fusion energy: Inertial fusion energy (IFE) refers to a proposed method of generating electricity by harnessing the energy released from the fusion of light atomic nuclei, typically isotopes of hydrogen, through a process known as inertial confinement fusion. Inertial fusion energy aims to replicate the energy-producing reactions that power the sun and other stars, utilizing the immense heat and pressure generated during the fusion process to produce electricity. Key features and concepts associated with...

Browse Cameras & Imaging, Lasers, Optical Components, Test & Measurement, and more.