Oak Ridge National Laboratory fusion energy developments

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has initiated several collaborative and commercial efforts to advance fusion energy technology.

In late July 2026, ORNL and Rutherford Energy Ventures launched the Fusion Upscaled Leveraged Consortia for Rapid Acceleration (FULCRA). This public-private partnership aims to establish shared fusion test-bed infrastructure at ORNL, combining federal expertise with private capital to validate subsystems such as plasma-facing components and fuel-breeding blankets.

Following this, in August 2026, ORNL entered into a licensing agreement with Type One Energy to transfer four specific inventions. These technologies are designed to support cryogenic pellet fuelling systems, which aim to improve plasma performance by injecting solid hydrogen pellets into the fusion plasma. The licensed suite includes components for tritium-compatible gas guns, screw extruders, pressure relief devices, and solid conveyance systems to address challenges regarding fuel containment and recirculation.

On August 13, 2026, Kyoto Fusioneering announced it is relocating its United States headquarters from Seattle, Washington, to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Supported by a grant from Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund, the company is making a $46.9 million investment expected to create 51 new jobs. In partnership with ORNL, the company is working on the UNITY-3 project to address tritium scarcity. This initiative involves building a testing facility that uses a particle accelerator to simulate high-energy neutrons, allowing for the testing of prototype lithium blankets designed to ‘breed’ tritium within a fusion reactor.