Plans for Mesa del Sol area are going to grow — significantly.
On Sept. 26, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced that Pacific Fusion selected New Mexico as the site for its first Research and Manufacturing campus.
The commercial fusion energy company will build a $1 billion facility at Mesa del Sol, which will help position New Mexico at the forefront of the emerging fusion energy industry and cement its role as a national leader in advanced energy innovation.
Fusion, the same process that powers the sun and stars, has long been considered the holy grail of clean, safe energy, and with the potential to generate near-limitless on-demand power.
The state-of-the-art research and manufacturing facility will house its Demonstration System, which is designed to achieve net facility gain — producing more energy from a fusion reaction than the total energy used — by 2030. Reaching this milestone would mark a historic breakthrough toward commercial fusion power.
“We’re excited to expand our operations to New Mexico for many reasons, chief among them the close partnership we’ve developed with state and local leadership, who have made this project possible,” said Keith LeChien, co-founder and chief technology officer of Pacific Fusion. “Working alongside the Governor’s Office, the Economic Development Department, the city of Albuquerque, key legislators from both parties, and the national labs, we’ve built true partnerships over the past several months. That collaboration gives us confidence that together we’ll be able to move quickly to deliver on the promise of low-cost fusion power.”
Upon finalization, the project will bring more than 200 long-term jobs to the state, along with hundreds more construction jobs, workforce development programs and regional economic activity. It is an anchor investment for a broader fusion ecosystem in New Mexico.
Pacific Fusion’s Albuquerque facility will build upon the success of its existing facilities in Northern California, where the company will remain headquartered, and represent a major expansion of the company’s footprint and scaling. The new facility will focus exclusively on research and manufacturing, not power generation. It is being designed to operate safely and without disruption to the surrounding area.
The Chamber is in full support of bringing major economic development like Pacific Fusion to Albuquerque, which benefits New Mexicans.