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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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RIC panel discusses pathway to fusion commercialization
Fusion leaders at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual Regulatory Information Conference discussed the path forward for regulating the burgeoning fusion industry. The speakers discussed government and private industry initiatives in the United States and United Kingdom, with a focus on efforts shaping the near-term deployment of commercial fusion machines.
A recurring theme was the need to explain the difference between fission and fusion. Representatives from the Department of Energy and Type One Energy highlighted this as an important distinction for regulators, as it will allow fusion to undergo its own independent maturation process for developing standards and regulations in the same way that fission has. Lea Perlas, Fusion Program director at the Virginia Department of Health, said that confusion between fission and fusion has been a common cause for misplaced concerns among community members surrounding Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ proposed fusion plant site near Richmond, Va.
2023 ANS WINTER CONFERENCE AND EXPO
Matt Wargon is a Senior Nuclear Engineer at TerraPower. In his current role, he serves as the Reactivity Control group lead for the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment (MCRE) project. Prior to joining TerraPower, he worked as a Safety Analysis Engineer for SC&EG at VC Summer Nuclear Station.
Matt has been an active member of ANS since 2010 when he first got involved as an undergraduate student. Since then, he has become involved in both local chapters and the national organization. Matt currently serves as the chair of the ANS Young Members Group, as well as a committee member of the ANS Scholarship Policy Coordinating Committee, the ANS Research & Advanced Reactor Coordinating Committee, and the ANS Certification Committee, as well as a member of the Reactor Physics Division Program Committee.
Matt earned his B.S. in Nuclear Engineering and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State University in 2013 and his M.S. in Nuclear Engineering in 2015 also from PSU. He also holds a Professional Engineering license in nuclear engineering in Washington state.
Last modified November 7, 2023, 2:49pm EST
