Governor Urges US to Prioritize Fusion Energy Development to Stay Ahead Globally
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin emphasized the importance of the United States fast-tracking its progress in fusion energy to avoid lagging behind China in the field of energy dominance. Speaking at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston on Tuesday, Youngkin highlighted Virginia’s significant role as the host of the world’s largest cluster of energy-intensive data centers, through which approximately 70% of global internet traffic flows.
“We need to push forward aggressively in advancing fusion technology, or else China will surpass us,” Youngkin stated during a panel discussion at the conference, which also featured Virginia utility Dominion Energy CEO Robert Blue and Bob Mumgaard, the head of Commonwealth Fusion Systems.
In December, Commonwealth Fusion Systems unveiled its plans to construct the first utility-scale fusion power plant in Virginia, aiming to replicate the sun’s energy-producing reaction on Earth using either lasers or magnets.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney and Tim Gardner; Editing by Tom Hogue and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
