Albuquerque area getting $1 billion research and manufacturing fusion facility

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Albuquerque area is getting a new $1 billion research and manufacturing facility. Pacific Fusion, a commercial fusion energy company, is building the new campus at Mesa Del Sol, south of Albuquerque.

"Fusion, the same process that powers the sun and stars, has long been considered the holy grail of clean safe energy, and with the potential to generate near-limitless on-demand power," a spokesperson for the Governor's Office explained.

The new facility will house Pacific Fusion's Demonstration System, which is expected to produce more energy from a fusion reaction than the amount of energy used by the facility by 2030. The new facility is expected to bring more than 200 long-term jobs to the region once complete. The construction of the facility is expected to generate construction jobs.

“We’re excited to expand our operations to New Mexico for many reasons, chief among them the close partnership we’ve developed with state and local leadership, who have made this project possible,” Keith LeChien, co-founder and chief technology officer of Pacific Fusion, said. “Working alongside the Governor’s office, the Economic Development Department, the City of Albuquerque, key legislators from both parties, and the national labs, we’ve built true partnerships over the past several months. That collaboration gives us confidence that together we’ll be able to move quickly to deliver on the promise of low-cost fusion power.”