In a major win for the state’s burgeoning high-tech sector, fusion energy company Pacific Fusion has selected Mesa del Sol in New Mexico as the site for its first-ever research and manufacturing campus. The project represents an estimated US$1 billion investment aimed at turning the long-theorized promise of nuclear fusion into a practical reality.
The campus will be dedicated to developing and building fusion technologies, with a flagship goal: achieving a net-energy gain with its “Demonstration System” by 2030. This milestone, where a fusion reaction produces more energy than it consumes, is the holy grail for scientists who have pursued fusion for decades as a potential source of clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy.
“New Mexico’s legacy of scientific excellence, anchored by national labs like Sandia where critical fusion experiments have been conducted, made it the ideal home for this next chapter,” a company spokesperson noted.
The venture is expected to create over 200 high-skilled permanent jobs, in addition to numerous construction positions. It will also establish workforce development programs to cultivate local talent, spurring significant regional economic activity. While Pacific Fusion will maintain its headquarters in Northern California, the Albuquerque facility will serve as its core research and manufacturing hub. Officials clarified the site will not generate power for the electrical grid.
The company’s choice was bolstered by strong support from state and local authorities, including the New Mexico Economic Development Department and the State Investment Council, which has actively promoted venture capital in strategic, future-focused sectors.
Pacific Fusion, backed by over $900 million from leading investment firms like General Catalyst, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Lowercarbon Capital, now positions New Mexico at the forefront of the emerging global fusion industry. State leaders hailed the project as a transformative opportunity to diversify the local economy and cement the state’s status as a hub for world-changing technological innovation.
