After news outlets reported that a federal laboratory had just accomplished a significant milestone in nuclear fusion research, the US Department of Energy indicated Sunday that it will reveal a “major scientific advance” this week.
According to a report published on Sunday by The Financial Times, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have successfully generated a “net energy gain” using an experimental fusion reactor.
That would mark the first occasion when scientists successfully produced more energy in a fusion reaction — the same kind that drives the Sun — than was used during the process, which might mark a significant advancement in the quest for carbon-free energy.
Energy Department and LLNL spokespeople told AFP they could not comment or provide confirmation regarding the FT report, but said US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm would “announce a major scientific breakthrough” on Tuesday.
The LLNL spokesperson added that their “analysis is still ongoing.”
“We look forward to sharing more on Tuesday when that process is complete,” she said.
According to the FT, which cited three sources with knowledge of the preliminary findings, the fusion reaction that resulted in a net energy gain of 120 percent took place within the last two weeks.
Two persons acquainted with the research later confirmed the development, according to the Washington Post, and a senior fusion scientist told the newspaper, “To most of us, this was only a matter of time.”
Some experts believe that nuclear fusion has the potential to be the energy source of the future since it generates so little waste and emits no greenhouse gases.
California congressman Ted Lieu tweeted, “If this fusion energy breakthrough is real, it might be a game changer for the globe.”
Fusion differs from fission, the technique currently used in nuclear power plants, by fusing two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one.
