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SWALWELL JOINS LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY IN CELEBRATING FUSION ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH

December 13, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-15) commended Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF), located in the Congressman's district, on its breakthrough development to produce a fusion reaction that creates a net energy gain.

NIF is a key element of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) science-based Stockpile Stewardship Program to maintain the reliability, security, and safety of the U.S. nuclear deterrent without full-scale testing. NIF is the world's most precise and reproducible laser system, which under extreme conditions, causes hydrogen atoms in the target to fuse and release energy in a controlled thermonuclear reaction.

The aim of fusion is to replicate the nuclear reaction through which energy is created on the sun, which has been a decades-long mission to generate carbon-free power. NIF's shot was the first controlled fusion experiment in history to exceed the long-sought scientific milestone of "energy breakeven." No other country has obtained laser-driven fusion results close to this.

"I am thrilled that Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility—the United States' most cutting-edge nuclear research facility—has achieved fusion ignition, potentially providing for a new clean and sustainable energy source. This breakthrough will ensure the safety and reliability of our nuclear stockpile, open new frontiers in science, and enable progress toward new ways to power our homes and offices in future decades. I commend the scientists and researchers for their hard work and dedication that led to this monumental scientific achievement, and I will continue to push for robust funding for NIF to support advancements in fusion research," said Swalwell.

Swalwell attended the Department of Energy and the NNSA's press conference celebrating the achievement Tuesday morning in Washington, DC.

Following in the footsteps of the late Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, who was a longtime champion of NIF, Swalwell has pushed for increased funding for NIF and the Inertial Confinement Fusion program. This funding supports Lawrence Livermore's work for fusion research and provides support to refurbish and upgrade the NIF facility, which has operated nonstop since construction was completed in 2009.

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