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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
In transition: Commercializing fusion power
Commercial fusion power is closer than ever. There are now around 30 U.S. fusion companies, several of which claim to be on track to connect to the grid as early as the 2030s.
Tokamak and laser inertial confinement approaches benefit from decades of research at facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and ITER, with alternative concepts including stellarator, magnetic mirror, and Z-pinch confinement also making notable progress as private and government funding for fusion increases.
ICRS 14/RPSD 2022 speaker
Dr. Loughlin has been working in nuclear fusion since the mid-1980s. He obtained his Ph.D. from Birmingham University in the UK, developing neutron diagnostics for fusion reactors. He was involved in the first deuterium and tritium experiments in JET and TFTR in the 1990’s, measuring new world records for fusion power on three occasions. From 2007 to 2022, he was the Coordinator of Nuclear Analysis and Shielding at ITER and led the effort in the design of nuclear shielding for the ITER facility. He is now a Distinguished R&D Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in 2020.
Last modified July 29, 2022, 9:32am PDT
