Fusion’s Flame Needs More Than Spark—It Runs on Policy, People, and Persistence
Turning fusion into a clean energy source demands policy reform, skilled workers, and better integration with real-world infrastructure
The science of nuclear fusion has made headlines for decades, but in 2025, the spotlight shifts from experimental breakthroughs to a tougher challenge: making it work in the real world.
For industry veterans and innovators, the question is no longer whether fusion is possible—it’s how to connect fusion plants to the grid and scale them up to meet rising global demand.
At the heart of the challenge lies integration. Shay Bahramirad, Vice President of Transmission and Distribution Engineering at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), explained that as much as fusion may promise clean and abundant power, it must still fit within the constraints of today’s infrastructure and regulatory environment.
“With AI and data centers driving up consumption, it’s a great opportunity for different types of technologies. Fusion would be a great one to co-locate with data centers and connect to the grid,” she said. But that future won’t happen automatically. “We need to collaborate—to take the technology from the laboratory, go through its standards and socializations and safety aspects, and make sure that it gets to the market in a timely fashion.”
Bahramirad’s role at PG&E and as president of the IEEE Power and Energy Society gives her a clear view of the obstacles ahead. She cited two historical examples: the solar sector, which was delayed by nearly a decade as it waited for smart inverter standards, and the Japanese fuel cell rollout, which stumbled in the U.S. due to mismatched integration standards.
“It’s important that the partnership, as the technology evolves and matures, starts early on,” she warned. “Otherwise, the technology is there, and it’s going to take a long time to bring it to market at scale.”
While engineering and standards are a significant focus, Bahramirad also highlighted a looming talent shortage.
“In the next 10 years, the United States needs 250,000 new engineers,” she said. “They can’t just be technically competent. They must have computational engineering skills and the ability to communicate with policymakers. Technology leads—but policy rules.”
To that end, PG&E invests in youth outreach, including hands-on STEM experiences for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
“We had students work for 16 weeks to build an electric car from scratch and race it at the Museum of Science and Industry,” she said. “These experiences make the abstract real and help us keep talent in the energy sector instead of losing them to Google or Microsoft.”
Fusion Fest: From Lab to Grid
The transition from theory to deployment was the central theme of Fusion Fest, a high-level industry event hosted by The Economist in London on April 8, 2025. The session “From lab to grid: Will fusion become a cornerstone of our future energy mix?” brought together leaders from utilities, advocacy, private startups, and project management to confront fusion’s commercial readiness.
Stuart Codling, Group Director of Global Fusion Power at Amentum, brought decades of experience to the table. Amentum has supported some of the world’s most ambitious fusion projects, from ITER to the National Ignition Facility. He believes fusion is entering a critical phase—a transition from research to delivery.
“Right now, there’s a demand before we even get into the future curve,” he said. “We need the right commercial construct and delivery mechanisms to enable best-for-program delivery of what we’ve got today.”
Codling warned that the required capabilities will shift significantly as fusion programs move from the scientific to engineering phases.
“We’ve still got lots of first-of-a-kind systems to develop—new components, new ways of integrating. We need frameworks that allow different organizations to collaborate and facilitate change through the engineering programs.”
A key concern for Codling is coordination—or the lack of it.
“There needs to be a demand. If the demand is there, industry will sort itself out,” he said. “In the UK, we’ve got a focused approach driven by the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the STEP program. But in the U.S., there are lots of national labs and a lack of unified direction. It’s an obstacle.”
Despite the hurdles, Codling is optimistic that the technology will mature with time and investment.
“There are a lot of technology hurdles to jump over, and I think we’ll do that. The key is having the right commercial frameworks in place to support that journey.”
Timelines and Talent Pipelines
For Ryan Ramsey, Chief Operating Officer at First Light Fusion, the most significant hurdles lie in physics or engineering, workforce development, and infrastructure. His Oxfordshire-based startup uses a novel form of inertial fusion, known as projectile fusion, and collaborates with other firms to speed up development.
“Our goal is powering a world worth inheriting,” Ramsey said. “That means thinking about our children and our children’s children. Fusion is not just a technology. It’s a mission.”
He expects that fusion pilot plants will appear in the early 2030s.
“Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is quite close to doing that,” he said. “More fusion companies are using AI. That will make them quicker at designing. I don’t think we'll see commercial power plants until the 2040s or 2050s. By 2050, you’re looking at lots of commercial power plants worldwide. Then that begins to scale.”
But scaling requires people—many of them.
“At some point, thousands of people will be involved,” Ramsey said. “We’ve established the Fusion Skills Council in the UK. It’s a sector-wide initiative supported by the UK Atomic Energy Authority. We’re engaging with education systems, making physics exciting in schools, and contextualizing it beyond theory.”
Ramsey believes the fusion sector lacks a charismatic public figure to rally interest. “Elon Musk can be divisive, but in the fusion sector, we need that standout role model,” he said. “If children could see that far ahead as a real positive, they’d have something to aim for.”
He added that fusion requires a full range of roles, not just scientists. “It’s about operators too—people who will run the plants, not just design them.”
A Global Imperative
Sehila M. Gonzalez de Vicente, Global Director for Fusion Energy at the Clean Air Task Force, put the issue in an international context.
“The energy demand is growing and will continue to grow beyond 2050,” she said. “At the same time, we want to decrease fossil fuel usage. Fusion is one of the elements that can help balance this equation.”
She sees fusion as essential to meeting the needs of both developed and developing countries.
“In OECD countries, energy demand grows due to AI and advanced technologies. In non-OECD countries, it’s about rising living standards. Both trends increase energy demand.”
Gonzalez de Vicente is optimistic about fusion’s viability in the mid-century.
“We have new tools that make deployment faster than before. The demand from society will push fusion to become a reality as soon as possible.”
She emphasized the need for coordination between the public and private sectors. “We want to de-risk the construction of pilot plants and future fusion fleets. Public capabilities must align with private sector needs. Right now, there are pieces here and there, but they’re not coordinated.”
Her outlook is pragmatic. “Nobody has a crystal ball to see the future. But the best approach is a balanced one—combining efficiency and creativity.”
When asked about getting fusion into school curricula, she said outreach and visibility matter. “Visiting labs and seeing the research firsthand helps young minds say, ‘I want to be part of that.’ That kind of engagement is vital.”
What Comes Next
As fusion moves toward commercialization, all four speakers agreed that complacency is not an option. The industry must act now to build regulatory frameworks, train workers, invest wisely, and prepare infrastructure.
“There’s a real opportunity here,” said Bahramirad. “Fusion has something many other energy technologies don’t—the ability to inspire. The new generation is mission-driven. They want to do something that helps humanity. We need to articulate that mission clearly.”
Ramsey summed up the urgency: “Governments will have to invest properly. Not just enough money for the company to fail—but enough to succeed.”
And for Codling, the industry’s evolution from lab to grid isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about staying flexible as new ones inevitably emerge.
“We’re transitioning from science to engineering,” he said. “We need to embrace change—not just recognize the need for it, but build it into how we work.”
Fusion’s journey to the grid is far from over. But as Fusion Fest made clear, the pieces are falling into place—if the world is willing to put them together.