General Fusion Shares Gain on Fusion Energy Milestone

By Elias Schisgall Shares of General Fusion were higher after the company said it reached a milestone in its efforts to commercialize fusion energy. Shares were up 13% at $8.62 shortly after noon Thursday. The stock has fallen 15% this year. The company said it had reached electron temperatures above 12 million degrees Celsius, or more than one kiloelectron volt, using an approach called Magnetized Target Fusion. General Fusion described the result as the first milestone of three on its path to commercialization, with the next two hurdles consisting of heating electrons to 10 kiloelectron volts, followed by reaching net fusion energy within the superheated plasma. The company is targeting beginning operations at a commercial fusion plant around 2035. "This world-first result for General Fusion's practical approach to fusion marks a major step forward on the company's plan to deliver reliable baseload, economical clean power from fusion energy," the company said. The company measured the results in partnership with the UK Atomic Energy Authority using a scientific technique known as.