Staff Reports
ALBUQUERQUE — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the start of construction on Pacific Fusion’s $1 billion research and manufacturing campus at Mesa del Sol Aug. 25, marking a major milestone in New Mexico’s drive to become a national hub for advanced, carbon-free energy.
Pacific Fusion’s approximately 225,000-square-foot campus will house the company’s first-of-its-kind fusion research facility, working toward a system that generates more energy than it consumes by 2030. The project is expected to create more than 200 permanent jobs, along with hundreds of construction and regional supply-chain jobs. This facility will not operate as a power plant.
“Less than a year ago, we announced that Pacific Fusion had selected New Mexico for this extraordinary investment, and today, construction begins,” Lujan Grisham said. “Pacific Fusion’s decision to build here demonstrates that New Mexico leads the nation in creating the industries of the future. This facility will create high-quality jobs, strengthen our advanced-manufacturing economy and help establish New Mexico as the place where the next-generation energy is developed and ultimately deployed.”
Fusion has the potential to provide abundant, carbon-free energy that isn’t weather dependent, without the risk of meltdown or long-lived radioactive waste. Pacific Fusion’s approach builds directly on decades of research at Sandia National Laboratories’ Z Machine, one of the world’s leading fusion research facilities.
“New Mexico is where Pacific Fusion will build the system designed to prove that practical fusion power is possible,” Keith LeChien, co-founder and CTO of Pacific Fusion, said. “The state brings together scientific and engineering talent, a deep legacy in pulsed-power research and leaders who understand the urgency of building. This campus will be the foundation for our fusion system and, we hope, for a much larger fusion energy ecosystem here in New Mexico.”
New Mexico’s proximity to Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, specialized scientific workforce, advanced-manufacturing base and ability to move major projects forward quickly were central to Pacific Fusion’s decision to locate its first major research and manufacturing campus in the state.
“Pacific Fusion’s $1 billion investment in New Mexico is a testament to the strength of our state’s workforce and national labs. This high-yield, high-gain fusion facility will advance our understanding of what it will take to bring fusion power to the grid, while supporting Albuquerque’s economy, creating 200 permanent jobs, and cementing New Mexico’s leadership in energy innovation,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N. M., Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and founder of the Senate Fusion Caucus, said.
Pacific Fusion has also established a facility in Los Lunas, where the company has already hired more than 70 people and manufactures components for its fusion system. Together, the Albuquerque campus and Los Lunas operation are intended to anchor a growing network of suppliers, educational institutions, and workforce-development programs supporting the fusion industry.
“Pacific Fusion is investing in our city and creating jobs for the next generation of energy technology,” Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said. “We are the right home for this kind of innovation, where the components are manufactured and the industry grows.”
The Energy Transition Act, signed into law Lujan Grisham in 2019, established a path to a zero-carbon electricity sector and sent a clear signal that New Mexico intends to lead in the development and deployment of advanced-energy technologies.
New Mexico has also expanded its Advanced Energy Equipment Tax Credit to include fusion machines and their essential components, helping ensure that companies developing and manufacturing fusion technology can build and grow in the state.
