Fusion Power Developer Commonwealth Seeks US Grid Connection
(Bloomberg) -- Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a company backed by Bill Gates and venture capitalist John Doerr, is seeking permission to connect what may be the world’s first commercial fusion power plant to the biggest US electric grid.
Fusion systems, which are intended to tap the energy of the stars, have long tantalized the energy industry. While the technology offers potential abundant carbon-free power — and at a time of surging electric demand from data centers — it’s unproven at scale and there are technical challenges such as managing the extreme heat required that need to be addressed.
Commonwealth Fusion filed a generation interconnection request with grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC for the 400-megawatt Fall Line Fusion Power Station it’s developing in Virginia, according to a Tuesday statement. The paperwork is required for any power plant connected to the US grid, and it may take four to six years to receive approval.
The grid operator’s approval process aligns with Commonwealth Fusion’s plan to have its Fall Line project in service in the early 2030s. While the company is one of the technological leaders in the effort to commercialize fusion energy, it must also deal with the more mundane aspects of the industry such as filing interconnection requests.
“At the end of the day, to the grid it just looks like a power plant,” Chief Executive Officer Bob Mumgaard said in an interview. “It would be really unfortunate if we had the technology ready and we didn’t have the paperwork ready.”
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