Fusion Energy: The Next Frontier of Power or Another Costly Gamble?

(Energy Industry Review, n.d.)

Billions have been poured into nuclear fission projects, yet some reactors remain unfinished even decades later. Once hailed as the future of power, fission now meets its challenger. Fusion energy—drawn straight from the Sun—the long-awaited clean breakthrough, or just another ‘nuclear dream’ that risks billions of dollars down the drain?

What Fusion Energy Is

Firstly, I would like to talk about the current process used in today’s nuclear power plants—nuclear fission. Fission is the splitting of heavy atomic nuclei, such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239, into smaller nuclei, releasing large amounts of energy along with free neutrons. While it provides reliable electricity, it also produces long-lived radioactive waste that must be carefully managed (IAEA, 2020). 

Unlike nuclear fission, nuclear fusion works by joining atoms together rather than splitting them apart. More specifically, fusion occurs when two light atomic nuclei—like hydrogen isotopes—collide under extreme heat and pressure to form a heavier nucleus, releasing enormous amounts of energy in the process. It’s the same reaction that powers the Sun, and scientists are striving to replicate it here on Earth as a virtually limitless, clean energy source—essentially bottling the Sun.

(BBC News, 2022)

The most promising reaction for power generation fuses deuterium and tritium, two heavy isotopes of hydrogen. When these isotopes collide, they form helium and release a high-energy neutron. The helium stays trapped in the plasma and helps sustain the reaction, while the neutron carries most of the released energy. This deuterium–tritium (D-T) reaction is the focus of most fusion research because it produces the highest energy yield at the lowest activation temperature (WNA, 2025).

Inside the tokamak—the leading type of fusion reactor today—a superheated plasma is created and confined by strong magnetic fields. The energy from fusion is released as high-energy neutrons that pass out of the plasma into the reactor’s “blanket.” This special layer absorbs neutrons, protects internal components (such as the steel structure and superconducting magnets), and transfers the neutron energy into heat through a cooling system. The blanket also plays a crucial role in testing materials for tritium breeding, which will be essential for sustaining future reactors (ITER, n.d.-a). Similar to a conventional power plant, the heat is then used to produce high-pressure steam, which drives turbines and generators to produce electricity (ITER, n.d.-b).

Current Energy Sources and Drawbacks

The world still leans on a handful of energy sources, and each comes with big drawbacks. Solar power, while renewable, is inconsistent: the Sun doesn’t shine 24/7, and storing energy at scale remains costly and inefficient (IEA, 2024). Fossil fuels dominate global supply, but they pump massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, driving climate change and worsening air pollution (IPCC, 2022). Nuclear fission plants can generate steady baseload power, but they leave behind highly radioactive waste that remains hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years, creating long-term safety and disposal challenges (WNA, 2023; IAEA, 2022).Skepticism From Past Nuclear Projects

While nuclear fission has powered grids for decades, many projects have become symbols of delay and overspending. A striking example is the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in the United Kingdom. Originally approved in 2008 with an estimated completion date of 2017, the project has faced repeated setbacks, increasing costs, and shifting deadlines. Now expected to begin operations in the 2030s, Hinkley Point C has gone from a showcase of “next-generation” nuclear to a cautionary tale of how conventional fission projects can drain billions without delivering power on time (TCE, 2025).

This history raises an important question for fusion: will it follow the same path? Fusion projects promise clean, limitless energy, but many have already faced decades of delays and soaring budgets. Just as Hinkley Point C shows how optimism in nuclear fission can turn into frustration, some skeptics argue fusion could become another expensive dream that never quite reaches the grid.

ITER, the world’s largest fusion experiment, exemplifies these concerns. Initially projected to cost around €6 billion and begin operations in 2020, ITER’s budget has since risen to over €25 billion, with some estimates reaching as high as €65 billion. Its experimental timeline has also been extended, with major plasma experiments now expected to start in 2039, marking a significant delay from the original schedule (TG, 2024) .

These escalating costs and delays have led to comparisons with large-scale fission projects, such as the aforementioned Hinkley Point C, raising questions about the scalability and economic feasibility of fusion energy. While promising clean and virtually limitless energy, fusion‘s path to realization may be longer and more costly than initially anticipated.

Benefits of Fusion Compared to Other Energy Sources

Unlike traditional Nuclear fission plants, fusion carries virtually no risk of a catastrophic reactor meltdown. If the plasma were to escape from the containment vessel, it would rapidly expand and cool, stopping the reaction—so there isn’t any risk of a catastrophic explosion (Kurzgesagt, 2016).

Additionally, fusion is nearly 100 percent free of long-lived radioactive waste. Small amounts of radioactive tritium may occasionally escape and combine with oxygen to form tritiated water, which is radioactive. However, these trace amounts are extremely limited due to the minimal quantities of tritium used and would be quickly diluted in the environment, significantly reducing any potential risk (Tanaka, Kurita, & Akata, 2024; Kurzgesagt, 2016).

(Our World in Data, n.d.)

While no real-world statistics for fusion exist yet, comparisons with existing energy sources highlight its potential safety. As noted earlier, fusion is expected to be even safer than nuclear fission. According to the graph above, nuclear fission energy already has one of the lowest death rates per terawatt-hour (TWh) of electricity generated, at just 0.03 deaths per TWh. Fusion’s self-limiting reaction and minimal radioactive waste suggest that its safety could surpass even that of nuclear fission, making it one of the safest energy sources imaginable (OWD, n.d.).

Current State of Fusion Energy

With current technology, the most practical fusion reaction involves two heavy isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium and tritium. When these nuclei fuse, they release a large amount of energy. Although each individual fusion reaction produces less energy than a single fission event, the difference lies in the fuel itself. Because deuterium–tritium fuel is far lighter than uranium, fusion yields over four times as much energy per gram of fuel compared to fission. This makes fusion one of the most energy-dense processes known, highlighting its potential as a future power source (WNA, 2025).

(Kurzgesagt, 2016)

Information on the main fusion reactor designs—magnetic confinement approaches, such as tokamaks and stellarators, and inertial confinement approaches, including laser and Z-/X-pinch—comes from the World Nuclear Association (WNA, 2025).

Currently, Fusion reactors are being developed along two main approaches:Magnetic Confinement Fusion:

• Tokamak: The leading design, such as ITER in France, confines plasma in a toroidal chamber using strong magnetic fields. It aims to demonstrate net energy gain for the first time.

• Stellarator: An alternative magnetic design that twists the plasma path to maintain stability without the need for a strong plasma current, making it more stable over long periods.

Inertial Confinement Fusion:

• Laser: Uses powerful lasers to compress and heat tiny fuel pellets rapidly, attempting to initiate fusion before the fuel can disperse.

• Z-/X-Pinch: Employs electrical currents to rapidly pinch plasma, achieving extreme temperatures and pressures for fusion to occur.

Each of these designs explores a different pathway to achieving controlled, sustained fusion, moving the world closer to practical, electricity-generating fusion reactors (WNA, 2025).

Problems to Solve

Despite its potential, fusion energy faces significant technical challenges. Maintaining a stable plasma at temperatures exceeding 150 million degrees Celsius for sufficient durations to produce net energy gain is technically demanding. Additionally, securing a reliable supply of tritium—the primary fuel for most current fusion designs—is a major hurdle. Tritium is scarce in nature and must either be bred from lithium within the reactor or produced in specialized facilities. Currently, the cost of tritium is approximately $30 000 per gram, making it one of the most expensive substances on Earth (Antweiler, 2019; Real Engineering, 2022). 

For instance, the DEMO reactor—projected to require 300 grams of tritium per day—would result in daily fuel costs of approximately $9 million, translating to a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of around $468.75 per megawatt-hour, significantly higher than current energy sources. These challengers highlight the importance of exploring alternative fuels, as well as tritium breeding methods, to make fusion commercially viable (Antweiler, 2019; Real Engineering, 2022).

The Future of Fusion and What to Expect

One promising company, Helion, is developing entirely new, innovative fusion technologies aimed at achieving net energy gain and commercial viability. Their approach? Pulsed Magneto-Inertial Fusion, utilizing powerful magnetic fields to compress and heat plasma rapidly, generating electricity directly without the need for conventional steam turbines. The system also increases the ease of initiating the fusion reaction by colliding two plasma pulses at very high speeds, converting their kinetic energy into thermal energy to reach the necessary temperatures for fusion. This method reduces costs, simplifies reactor design, and accelerates the timeline for commercial fusion, potentially easing dependence on tritium (Real Engineering, 2022). 

Another futuristic proposal involves using Helium-3, which is rare on Earth but may be abundant on the Moon thanks to billions of years of solar wind deposits. This could allow cleaner fusion reactions with minimal radioactive byproducts and help address tritium scarcity. Some researchers even suggest that exploiting Helium-3 might one day justify establishing a lunar base—a fascinating prospect for the future of energy (Kurzgesagt, 2016).

Conclusion

Fusion energy holds immense promise as a clean, virtually limitless source of power, but it remains technologically and financially challenging at present. While investing in fusion research is crucial for long-term breakthroughs, it should not come at the expense of improving and scaling current renewable energy sources. Efforts to increase efficiency and reduce costs of solar, wind, and other affordable clean energy technologies should continue in parallel, ensuring a balanced approach to meeting both immediate and long-term energy needs.

References 

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BBC News. (2022, June 9). Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60312633

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International Atomic Energy Agency. (2023, September 4). New IAEA report presents global overview of radioactive waste and spent fuel management. IAEA. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/new-iaea-report-presents-global-overview-of-radioactive-waste-and-spent-fuel-management

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International Energy Agency. (2024). Grid-scale storage. IEA. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/electricity/grid-scale-storage

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Chapter 2: Emissions trends and drivers. In Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (pp. 223–344). Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_Chapter02.pdf

ITER Organization. (n.d.-a). Blanket. https://www.iter.org/machine/blanket

ITER Organization. (n.d.-b). What is a tokamak? https://www.iter.org/machine/what-tokamak

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. (2016, November 11). Fusion power explained – Future or failure [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/mZsaaturR6E?si=4YNW3Htm-GhyJ4_i

Our World in Data. (n.d.). Death rates per unit of electricity production. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/death-rates-from-energy-production-per-twh

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Tanaka, M., Kurita, S., & Akata, N. (2024). Impacts of the large fusion test facility on tritium in environmental water and natural radiation levels. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 200(16–18), 1802–1806. https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncae123

The Chemical Engineer. (2025, May 14). Hinkley Point C could go £28bn over budget as EDF predicts further delays. The Chemical Engineer. https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/hinkley-point-c-could-go-28bn-over-budget-as-edf-predicts-further-delays

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