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Q: What’s Commonwealth Fusion Systems doing in Chesterfield County, Va.?
A: Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the largest private fusion company, will finance, build, own, and operate the world’s first grid-scale fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia. This power plant, called ARC, will produce about 400 megawatts of clean, zero-carbon power that’ll help meet the state’s growing demand for electricity. That’s about enough to power 150,000 homes in the state.
Q: When will CFS start operating ARC?
A: CFS expects to begin construction after obtaining state, local, and federal permits. ARC is scheduled to start generating power for the electrical grid in the early 2030s. It’s designed to run for 20 years or more.
Q: Who is Commonwealth Fusion Systems?
A: CFS, based in Massachusetts, spun out of MIT in 2018 to commercialize fusion energy. The company is based in Devens, Massachusetts, where it’s building a fusion machine in collaboration with MIT. That machine, SPARC, will demonstrate fusion power viability by producing more fusion energy than it uses to start and sustain the process. The company has raised more than $2 billion to date. Key to the company’s approach is a technology called high-termperature superconductors that enable powerful electromagnets that make fusion power plants smaller and more economically competitive.
Q: How is Dominion Energy Virginia involved?
CFS will lease ARC land from Dominion Energy Virginia. And through a non-financial collaboration, the utility will provide CFS with some development and technical expertise, while CFS will help Dominion understand fusion power plants.
Q: What will ARC mean for Virginia?
A: ARC will provide round-the-clock clean energy that’ll help meet the state’s growing power demand and make the grid more reliable for consumers and businesses. The project will create hundreds of jobs to build and operate the power plant, including operators, electricians, pipefitters, mechanics, and technicians.
Q: Will the ARC power plant increase power prices for Virginia residents and businesses?
A: This new plant isn’t expected to affect Virginia ratepayers since CFS is the party that will finance and build the plant. CFS expects ARC power will be sold to large industrial/commercial customers, through private contracts known as purchase power agreements, so that Virginia residents and businesses won’t be paying for the cost of the plant.
Q: Why did CFS pick the Virginia location for the ARC power plant?
A: Several factors made Chesterfield County, Virginia, a prime location to introduce fusion power. Virginia ranks as the top-rated state for business, the region has a strong workforce, and this site has access to existing infrastructure for an easier grid connection. More broadly, Virginia is experiencing some of the fastest energy demand growth in the country and is working to meet that with new clean, firm sources.
Q: What will ARC look like?
A: ARC is a donut-shaped machine housed within buildings that look like a big-box retailer.
Q: Is fusion energy safe? How will it be regulated?
A: Yes. With fusion energy, there’s no possibility of runaway chain reactions or meltdowns, and there’s no long-lived, highly radioactive waste like that from nuclear fission. Tritium is weakly radioactive, so to store and handle it, CFS will use well-established technology and processes and will comply with applicable regulations. If any air enters the tokamak’s interior, it immediately and safely stops the fusion process. US regulations treat fusion power plants similarly to how they treat particle accelerators, not nuclear fission plants — an approach that recognizes fusion’s inherent safety and supports its rapid scaling. ARC will require a radioactive materials license from Virginia.
For more information on fusion energy, see the Commonwealth Fusion Systems FAQ.