Existing law establishes the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, with various responsibilities with respect to developing and implementing the state's energy policies. Existing law requires, as part of the 2027 edition of the integrated energy policy report, the commission to include an assessment of the potential for fusion energy to contribute to California's power supply. Existing law requires the commission to carry out technical assessment studies on all forms of energy, including, among others, advanced nuclear powerplant concepts, fusion, and fuel cells.
This bill would establish the Fusion Research and Development Innovation Hub Program within the commission to accelerate the development and growth of fusion energy by advancing fusion science and technology with the goal of delivering the world's first fusion energy pilot plant in the state by the 2040s. The bill would require, among other things, the commission to designate fusion research and development innovation hubs representing the geographical regions of southern California, the central valley, and the San Francisco Bay
area. The bill would require the commission to administer the program using moneys in the Fusion Research and Development Fund, which the bill would establish in the State Treasury, to provide grants to the fusion research and development innovation hubs for the purpose of accelerating the deployment of new research and technology capabilities that support the commercialization of fusion energy. The bill would make the implementation of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature for the program.