Commonwealth Fusion Systems Selects 47-Acre Site in Devens, Mass., for Historic Commercial Fusion Energy Campus
Cambridge, MA, - March 3, 2021 - Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the leading company commercializing fusion energy, today announced it will build a 47-acre commercial fusion energy campus in Devens, Massachusetts. The campus will be the birthplace of the commercial fusion energy industry and home to the compact fusion device SPARC that will demonstrate fusion can work as a power source. It will also include the company’s corporate offices as well as an advanced manufacturing facility as it prepares to scale quickly and bring fusion power to market.
“This campus is an important milestone in our mission to commercialize fusion energy and combat climate change. This will be the site where we harness fusion and prove it can work as a clean, limitless power source for the first time in history,” said CFS CEO Bob Mumgaard.
CFS, in collaboration with MIT, is designing and building the world’s first net energy fusion device, SPARC, based on a combination of proven plasma physics and groundbreaking high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets. These HTS magnets are the key technology that will enable SPARC and future fusion power plants around the world. This roadmap was validated through peer-reviewed research published in a leading scientific journal that shows SPARC will achieve net energy if the magnets work. A full-scale magnet demonstration is set to take place in June 2021. CFS will construct these HTS magnets for SPARC and future fusion power plants at the Devens campus in a 160,000ft2 manufacturing facility.
Devens is a regional enterprise zone managed by MassDevelopment, the Commonwealth’s finance and development agency. Following a series of public hearings, meetings, and submissions by CFS, the Devens Enterprise Commission, Devens’ permitting authority, unanimously approved CFS’ permit application.
“Historically we have had many technologies that change the world start in Massachusetts, and when Commonwealth Fusion Systems does it by bringing fusion energy technology to life we will be able to say they did it at their first-of-its-kind campus in Devens," said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. "The former U.S. Army base today boasts an ecosystem of cutting-edge technology and manufacturing companies thanks to its proximity to major research and education hubs, first-rate utility infrastructure, and commitment to fostering innovation. As the Commonwealth's finance and economic development agency tasked with redeveloping Devens, MassDevelopment is thrilled to welcome Commonwealth Fusion Systems to the community.
King Street Properties of Boston will develop and own the manufacturing facility. Construction on the campus will begin in spring 2021.
About CFS
CFS is on track to bring fusion energy technology to market. CFS was spun out of MIT and combines the decades of research experience of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center with the innovation and speed of the private sector. Supported by the world’s leading investors in breakthrough energy technologies, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver the fastest path to commercial fusion energy.